Omega-3 and Postpartum Depression
I'm glad to see that a prominent panel is recommending that US women be screened for postpartum depression. Pregnancy takes a great deal out of women, as everyone knows, including her supply of Omega-3s, which help to protect the brain against depression and many other conditions. Please read Web MDs report on the well-documented connection between Omega-3s and postpartum depression and remember that Susie's Smart Breakfast Cookies are a great way to boost your tissue Omega-3s.
Omega-3s May Cut Risk of Postpartum Depression
Study Shows Eating Fatty Fish May Be Helpful in Preventing Symptoms of Postpartum Depression
By Denise Mann
WebMD Health News Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
WebMD News Archive
April 11, 2011 -- Eating fatty fish or other foods rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy may help lower your risk of developing symptoms commonly seen in postpartum depression, a small study suggests.
The findings are slated for presentation at the Experimental Biology 2011 meeting in Washington, D.C.
Many new mothers experience the “baby blues” in the first few weeks after delivery. Symptoms of the baby blues, such as mood swings, insomnia, and feeling overwhelmed, are generally not long-lasting.
Postpartum depression is a more serious illness. It has moderate to severe depression symptoms such as sadness and hopelessness, severe mood swings, confusion, guilt, sleeping and eating disturbances, and sometimes thoughts of suicide.
There is a wealth of research linking omega-3 fatty acids such as those found in salmon and other oily fish to improved cardiovascular health. Omega-3 fatty acids are important to the development of a fetus’s neurologic development and growth. In fact, some prenatal vitamins contain omega-3 fatty acids including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
In the new study, 52 pregnant women took either a corn oil placebo pill or a fish oil capsule containing 300 milligrams of DHA for five days a week during the 24th to 40th weeks of their pregnancy. The amount of DHA contained in each capsule is the equivalent of about one-half serving of salmon.
The researchers used a postpartum depression screening scale to determine if the women were showing any signs or symptoms of postpartum depression two weeks, six weeks, three months, and six months after delivery.
Women who received the fish oil supplements scored lower on the scale and had significantly fewer postpartum depression symptoms than those who received the placebo. Women in the fish oil group were also less likely to report anxiety symptoms, the study shows.
But the study was too small to draw any sweeping conclusions about fish oil and risk for postpartum depression.
"DHA consumption during pregnancy -- at levels that are reasonably attained from foods -- has the potential to decrease symptoms of postpartum depression," conclude study researchers led by Michelle Price Judge, PhD, RD, a faculty member at the University of Connecticut School of Nursing.
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