The multitude of health benefits from omega-3 fatty acids now includes relieving anxiety and stress in patients who take it.
A study of 68 medical-school students (both first- and second-year) showed that those who received omega-3 fatty acids experienced a 20 percent reduction in anxiety, stress, and pro-inflammatory cytokines.
The supplements provided contain four or five times the amount of fish oil in a daily serving of salmon, researchers noted.
“We saw a 14-percent reduction in the amounts of interleukin-6 among the students receiving the omega-3,” said Dr. Ron Glaser, an Ohio State University College of Medicine professor who conducted the study. “Anything we can do to reduce cytokines is a big plus in dealing with the overall health of people at risk for many diseases.”
The findings were published in an article in Brain, Behavior and Immunity.