Omega-3 And Fish Oil In Stress

Fish oil has been studied in terms of whether omega 3 can reduce the stress response.

A study in the Diabetes and Metabolism journal in 2003 looked at how fish oil supplements affected the severity fo the human stress response as measured by the body's production of stress hormones.

These stress hormones were cortisol, adrenaline, energy expenditure and fat breakdown.

The subjects were measure at basline, then subject to 30 minutes of mental stress then 30 minutes of recovery.

The results showed that:

"Mental stress significantly increased heart rate, mean blood pressure, and energy expenditure. It increased plasma epinephrine from 60.9 +/- 6.2 to 89.3 +/- 16.1 pg/ml (p<0.05), plasma cortisol from 291 +/- 32 to 372 +/- 37 micromol/l (p<0.05)..."

But in the group taking fish oil supplements:

"After 3 weeks of a diet supplemented with n-3 (omega 3) fatty acids, the stimulation by mental stress of plasma epinephrine, cortisol, energy expenditure, and plasma non esterified fatty acids concentrations, were all significantly blunted."

Note that fish oil helps in the area of depression and brain function.

So the benefits of omega 3 on our mental well being may be via both our brain as well as via our hormonal system, by reducting stress hormone output.

Study Details:

• Delarue J, et al. Fish oil prevents the adrenal activation elicited by mental stress in healthy men. Diabetes Metab. 2003 Jun; 29(3): 289-95.