Omega-3 supplementation lowers inflammation and anxiety

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Omega-3 supplementation lowers inflammation and anxiety in medical

students: A randomized controlled trial.

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21784145>

Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Belury MA, Andridge R, Malarkey WB, Glaser R.

Brain Behav Immun. 2011 Jul 19

Observational studies have linked lower omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated

fatty acids (PUFAs) and higher omega-6 (n-6) PUFAs with inflammation and

depression, but randomized controlled trial (RCT) data have been mixed.

To determine whether n-3 decreases proinflammatory cytokine production

and depressive and anxiety symptoms in healthy young adults, this

parallel group, placebo-controlled, double-blind 12-week RCT compared

n-3 supplementation with placebo. The participants, 68 medical students,

provided serial blood samples during lower-stress periods as well as on

days before an exam. The students received either n-3 (2.5g/d, 2085mg

eicosapentaenoic acid and 348mg docosahexanoic acid) or placebo capsules

that mirrored the proportions of fatty acids in the typical American

diet. Compared to controls, those students who received n-3 showed a 14%

decrease in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated interleukin 6 (IL-6)

productions and a 20% reduction in anxiety symptoms, without significant

change in depressive symptoms. Individuals differ in absorption and

metabolism of n-3 PUFA supplements, as well as in adherence;

accordingly, planned secondary analyses that used the plasma n-6:n-3

ratio in place of treatment group showed that decreasing n-6:n-3 ratios

led to lower anxiety and reductions in stimulated IL-6 and tumor

necrosis factor alpha (TNF-?) production, as well as marginal

differences in serum TNF-?. These data suggest that n-3 supplementation

can reduce inflammation and anxiety even among healthy young adults. The

reduction in anxiety symptoms associated with n-3 supplementation

provides the first evidence that n-3 may have potential anxiolytic

benefits for individuals without an anxiety disorder diagnosis.

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00519779.