Researchers at the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) drew on the health records of 12,000 Finnish men and women in their research.
Although many of the persons included in the study ate a lot of fish, neither a high consumption of fish nor omega-3 supplements had any bearing on participants’ mental health.
Contrary to popular belief, mental distress was more common among men whose blood contained high levels of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA), a fatty acid found in fish. However, researchers point out that alcohol consumption, smoking and level of physical activity also played a role in the results.
The Finnish study is published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
