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Can Fish Oil Help Depression?

By Expert HERWriter
 
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In a recent study from the American Journal of Nutrition, taking 1500 mg of fish oil (specifically, 500 mg of EPA three times/day) slightly helped peri-menopausal women with their depression. Now, it didn’t rock anyone’s world, but fish oil is so helpful for so many concerns that women may find improvement with distressed feelings while taking it for overall health balance.

When taking a fish oil, make sure that it doesn’t have a lot of filler oil, such as soybean oil. You want a reputable brand that tests its fish oil for toxins, mercury, pesticides and herbicides. If you bite into the capsule and it tastes/smells overwhelmingly fishy, you have a problem bottle. Yes, it is fish oil, but the reputable companies have their oil so screened and cleaned that it’s not repugnant.

Don’t leave your fish oil in the heat. Because it’s oil, heat can cause the oil to become rancid, making it taste and smell bad. Also, don’t buy your fish oil from a discount store or overstock store. Yes, it’s cheaper, but you may be swallowing rancid, dirty oil. Who knows how long that bottle has been sitting on shelves?

When reading the label, make sure you’re swallowing 300 mg to 500 mg of EPA per capsule. Don’t buy 1000 mg capsules of ‘fish oil’ with only 120 mg of the good stuff inside. What makes up the other 860 mg?

Lastly, eat the fish that make up fish oil! Go for wild-caught salmon or anchovies on a regular basis.

Add a Comment5 Comments

hotflash

I think Omega 3 is great for so many things. But a recent study has indicated Red Clover can also help depression

http://www.menopausetracker.info/index.php/2010/03/04/red-clover-and-menopause/

March 4, 2010 - 1:35pm

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EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

This is a good question post. And thanks for the great explanation over here. I had fun reading this topic and I can get helpful ideas here. I know the health benefits of fish oil or carlson fish oil is good.

October 25, 2009 - 8:08pm

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madeline

www.omega4.co.uk is a great site for quality omega supplements but it is also great for highlighting recent studies

August 4, 2009 - 2:48am

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Diane Porter
(reply to madeline)

To find the studies this website links to, on the home page underneath the top banner click on "studies." For a detailed discussion of each study, you'll have to link through again, to the original source. Also, do note that this website is in the UK, which means that the "free shipping" noted at the top is only for within the UK.

August 4, 2009 - 8:04am

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EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

There is a large and important new study that found expecting moms who ate no seafood were about 50 percent more likely to report symptoms of depression at 32 weeks of pregnancy than those who ate 3 or more servings of seafood per week. Read about it here ... http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE56T6EZ20090730
Jennifer McGuire, MS, RD
National Fisheries Institute

August 3, 2009 - 5:33pm

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Dr. Carrie Jones
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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

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