Elsevier

The Journal of Nutrition

Volume 143, Issue 11, November 2013, Pages 1743-1752
The Journal of Nutrition

ω-3 Fatty Acid Intakes Are Inversely Related to Elevated Depressive Symptoms among United States Women1,2,4

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Abstract

Evidence that depressive symptoms are inversely related to n–3 (ω-3) fatty acids is growing among United States adults. We assessed whether self-reported depressive symptoms were inversely associated with n–3 fatty acid intakes by using a cross-sectional study in 1746 adults (aged 30–65 y) in Baltimore City, MD (2004–2009). The 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression Scale (CES-D) was used, with a CES-D score ≥16 suggestive of elevated depressive symptoms (EDS). By using the mean of two 24-h dietary recalls, n–3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs; ≥20 carbons), n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs; ≥18 carbons), and plausible ratios with n–6 (ω6) fatty acids were estimated. EDS prevalence was 18.1% among men and 25.6% among women. In women, the uppermost tertile (tertile 3) of n–3 PUFAs (compared with tertile 1) was associated with reduced odds of EDS by 49%, with a substantial sex differential. The n–3 PUFA:n–6:PUFA ratio was inversely related to EDS among women (tertile 2 vs. tertile 1, OR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.41, 1.32; tertile 3 vs. tertile 1, OR: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.27, 0.83). A similar pattern was noted for n–3 HUFA:n–6 HUFA among women. For CES-D subscales, n–3 PUFA (% of energy) was inversely related to somatic complaints, whereas positive affect was directly related to n–3 HUFA (% of energy; total population and among women), n–3 HUFA:n–6 HUFA (women), and n–3 HUFA:n–6 PUFA (total population and among women). In sum, among United States women, higher intakes of n–3 fatty acids [absolute (n–3) and relative to n–6 fatty acids (n–3:n–6)] were associated with lower risk of elevated depressive symptoms, specifically in domains of somatic complaints (mainly n–3 PUFAs) and positive affect (mainly n–3 HUFAs).

Abbreviations

AA
arachidonic acid
ALA
α-linolenic acid
AI
Adequate Intake
AMPM
Automated Multiple Pass Method
CES-D
Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression Scale
DPA
docosapentaenoic acid
EDS
elevated depressive symptoms
HANDLS
Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span
HS
high school
HUFA
highly unsaturated fatty acid
LA
linoleic acid
PIR
poverty-income ratio

Cited by (0)

1

Supported by the National Institute on Aging, Intramural Research Program (NIA/NIH/IRP).

2

Author disclosures: M. A. Beydoun, M. T. Fanelli Kuczmarski, H. A. Beydoun, J. R. Hibbeln, M. K. Evans, and A. B. Zonderman, no conflicts of interest.

4

M.K.E. and A.B.Z. were co–senior authors.