Depression: Beat the blues and be merry for Christmas

According to the Mental Health Foundation 1 in 6 people will have depression at some point in their lives. It is hard to imagine that at this festive time of year people could be feeling down, but for some the financial and emotional pressures of Christmas can feel overwhelming.

Depression is both emotional and biological, and is often triggered by experiences that a depressed person may have little or no control over. So in treating a complex problem like depression, it's important to focus on what you can control.

Omega-3 supplements shown to lift depression
I've sent you a number of e-alerts that discuss the importance of striving for a dietary balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. The optimum omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is 1:1 - a ratio that promotes the proper regulation of several key cardiovascular functions. But because omega-6 is abundant in processed foods, while the primary dietary source of omega-3 is fish, the omega ratio of a typical diet is by some estimates more like 20:1. And that's particularly important to today's e-alert because I've come across two studies that confirm the positive effects that omega-3 intake has on depression.

Previous studies have shown that people who are depressed often have low levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Based on this information, researchers at the Swallownest Court Hospital in Sheffield studied 70 patients, each diagnosed with persistent depression. These patients had not responded successfully to typical pharmaceutical treatments such as Lustral and Prozac.

The subjects were divided into four groups. For 12 weeks, three of the groups received dosages of 1, 2, or 4 grams per day of ethyl-eicosapentaenoate (EPA), one of the crucial omega-3 fatty acids. The fourth group received a placebo. Before and after the testing period, the patients' levels of depression were assessed using three different rating scales. The greatest response was recorded in the group that received the 1-gram daily dosage. Almost three quarters of the subjects in this group showed a 50 percent reduction in depression, anxiety, and suicidal tendencies. The researchers say that a larger study is called for to understand why this positive trend did not increase as EPA dosage was increased.

Increase your sense of well being
The second study, from Harvard Medical School in the US, has so many parallels to the Sheffield study that a complete rundown here of all the details would be redundant. Suffice it to say that it was also a small study, only a few weeks long, using subjects who had not responded well to drug treatments for persistent depression. In this case the dosage of EPA was lower - only 2,000 mg - but the results were similar, with the benefits of omega-3 supplements described as 'highly significant' compared with placebo.

One of the authors of the study, psychiatrist Dr Andrew Stoll, gave 'Prevention' magazine an insight into the process at work here, saying, 'All cell coatings are made of fats, and when those fats are omega-3s, the serotonin receptors on the surface of brain cells seem to function in a healthier way.'

Serotonin is a natural hormone that transmits nerve impulses. Simply put, when serotonin is functioning correctly in your brain, you have a positive sense of well being. When serotonin is not making the proper connection with brain cells, the result is depression, often accompanied by other health problems such as insomnia and migraine headaches. Prozac and Lustral are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) that prevent serotonin from returning to the nerve cell it originates from.

So with SSRIs steering serotonin toward the correct cells, and with omega-3s improving the brain cells' ability to receive seroronin, it's no wonder that both of these studies concluded by encouraging patients with severe depression to continue SSRIs treatments while also taking the supplements necessary to increase levels of omega-3.

But before you inhibit the reuptake...
According to the NHS, about 15 percent of depressed patients are classified as severe. In other words, someone who experiences mild to moderate depression may find all the relief they need from an increased intake of omega-3 and other foods and supplements that promote the ideal transmission of nerve impulses in the brain.

As I've mentioned several times, the best source of omega-3 is fish, particularly dark meat fish such as tuna and swordfish. The problem, which I've also mentioned several times, is the threat of ingesting too much mercury, which is sometimes present at high levels in these fish. Fish oil supplements are an excellent alternative, and will deliver far more omega-3 than your diet ever could, unless you happen to eat large amounts of tuna and swordfish every day.

High levels of B vitamins have also been shown to relieve symptoms of depression. In addition to supplements, good dietary sources of vitamin B are: tuna, salmon, avocados, bananas, mangoes, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, poultry and meat. Note that stress (which often goes hand in hand with depression) is believed to deplete your body's store of B vitamins.

People who are depressed are often deficient in magnesium, as well, which is found in whole grains, nuts and leafy green vegetables. Herbal supplements like valerian root, chamomile, black cohosh, and rosemary may also help manage depression. And the standout among the herbs is, of course, St. John's wort, which is sometimes called the 'natural Prozac' for its apparent ability to help manage the proper functioning of seratonin in the brain.

Perhaps one of the greatest mistakes people make is assuming depression is all mental, or 'in their heads.' Proper nutrition is as important to your head as it is to your heart, skin, joints...you get the idea.