Salmon Keeps You Smiling

Looking for a little something to lift your spirits? You may want to go to your local fishmonger and stock up on Omega 3-rich salmon and mackerel.

That's right. While scientists have long known that oily fish contain Omega 3 fatty oils that can help prevent heart and circulatory problems, now say the same oils may be useful in preventing or possibly treating depression.

Professor Peter Howe, a biomedical scientist at Wollongong University, Australia, said his team centered its research on nations with a high consumption of oily fish, including Japan and Taiwan. In these countries, he noted, mental depression was much less prevalent than in countries such as Australia, where fish constituted a much smaller percentage of the average diet.

Further study is needed to understand potential link between oily fish and lower rates of depression, the professor said. But if a connection is clearly established, he said, "people will be given another reason to look closely at their intake of Omega 3 fatty acids."