The cross-sectional relationship among omega-3 fatty acid levels, cardiorespiratory fitness, and depressive symptoms from the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFAs) are implicated in numerous illnesses including depression. The literature is mixed regarding the relationship between n-3 PUFA levels and depression, and studies based on self-reported dietary n-3 PUFA intake may not accurately reflect in vivo levels. The current cross-sectional analysis examined the relationship between erythrocyte levels (eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; CESD), adjusting for health-related factors and omega-3 supplement use in 16,398 adults assessed at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas for preventative medical examinations between April 6, 2009, and September 1, 2020. A three-stage hierarchical linear regression was conducted to examine the EPA and DHA levels on CES-D before and after inclusion of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in the model. DHA level, but not EPA level, was significantly associated with CES-D scores. Taking omega-3 supplements was associated with lower CES-D scores even when adjusting for CRF, while hs-CRP was non-significantly associated with CES-D scores. These findings suggest that DHA levels are related to depressive symptom severity. Omega-3 PUFA supplement use was associated with lower CES-D scores when controlling for EPA and DHA levels. The findings from this cross-sectional study suggest that lifestyle and/or other contextual factors unrelated to EPA and DHA levels may also be associated with depressive symptom severity. Longitudinal studies are needed to evaluate the role of health-related mediators among these relationships.

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of Competing Interest Dr. Brown reports current or recent research grants from NIMH, NHLBI, NIA, NIAAA, NCCIH and the Stanley Medical Research Foundation and serves on advisory boards for Sage Pharmaceuticals and Medscape. Ms. Kulikova, Dr. Palka, Dr. Van Enkevort, Dr. DeFina, Dr. Sunderajan, Dr. Willis, Dr. Barlow, and Dr. Ly report no financial relationships with commercial interests.