Fish Oil May Releive Postpartum Depression

Taking Fish oil supplements with at least 300 mg DHA during pregnancy may help lower the risk of developing postpartum depression in pregnant women.

In a small study,  52 pregnant women were given 300 milligrams of DHA containing omega-3 fish oil capsules or a placebo from the 24th through 40th weeks of pregnancy.

The study found that women who took the fish oil capsules had significantly fewer symptoms of postpartum depression than those who took the placebo, said Dr. Michelle Price Judge, of the University of Connecticut School of Nursing, and colleagues at the Experimental Biology meeting in Washington, DC.

“DHA consumption during pregnancy at levels that are reasonably attained from foods has the potential to decrease symptoms of postpartum depression,” they concluded in a news release from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

The study was too small for any sweeping conclusions, but the preliminary results hint that Omega 3 fatty acids may help address some of the issues related to postpartum depression.  Further larger scale studies are required before concluding that omega-3 fatty acid consumption lowers the risk of postpartum depression.