Fish Oils & Depression: How Omega-3's Can Improve Your Mood

When I was younger, I spent a lot of time doing and being the things that would make other people happy. I was constantly seeking approval, stranded in a career that wasn’t relevant to who I was or what I wanted to do.

As a result, I was constantly under stress. I was having trouble sleeping, my relationships were suffering and I just couldn’t figure out what I was missing. I was reasonably healthy, and even though I wasn’t a regular at the gym, I exercised enough to keep myself strong and healthy.

“Maybe I’m depressed.” I thought. But how could that be? My financial situation was on track; I was in a great relationship, and I had a family that I absolutely adored.

So, being the curious girl that I am, I began looking at several different symptoms and causes and read a ton of different articles about stress, mood disorders, and depression.

Until something struck me. There was a common theme going through a lot of the literature that helped people overcome what I was feeling. And the common theme was "Nutrition".

That’s right – one of the simplest ways to combat mood disorders and low energy was nutrition (at least that’s what the articles said!)

Among all of the nutritional elements that could potentially help in my situation, Omega-3s seemed to be a standout. I found a tremendous amount of clinical research and peer-reviewed studies about fish oil consumption and how it could help.

I started taking a good fish oil supplement and started consuming it diligently. A few weeks in, something started to happen. I was sleeping like I had never slept in my life and I wasn’t stressed or irritable as often. Weeks turned into months. And today, over a decade later, I still consume fish oil regularly.

But How Did This Happen? How Did Fish Oil Help My Mood?

The majority of our brain (over 60%) is made up of fat. And a major chunk of this fatty region of the brain consists of Omega-3 fatty acids.

As a result, fish oil and the associated Omega-3s are vital for a healthy mind¹.

Several studies have confirmed that consuming sufficient quantities of fish oil helps to improve your mood. In addition, a lot of studies show that people suffering from mental disorders often have low blood levels of Omega-3.

How Omega-3 Works to Build a Happier Brain

According to researchers, omega-3 consumption makes it easier for serotonin (the neurotransmitter responsible for mood, appetite, sleep, libido etc.) to pass through the membranes of our brain cells and find its way to the cells that are tasked with creating those happy feelings.

According to Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, a psychiatrist from the National Institute of Health, the average American diet is seriously deficient in Omega-3s, which is probably related to the rise of mood disorders and the pharmaceutical drugs prescribed to treat them.

According to a 2014 survey, at least 15 million adults in the United States alone experienced one or more episodes of low moods, and Dr. Hibbeln suggests that a diet lacking fish, eggs, and meat might be the root cause.

The Japanese are far more proficient with their fish intake, with the average adult consuming around 145 pounds of fish annually (the average American adult consumes 42 pounds of fish annually).

This statistic takes on a whole new meaning when you consider that the depression rates in America are 30 times higher than Japan!