Higher Omega-3 Levels Associated with Improved Mental Health

Higher omega-3 levels are associated with a reduction in self-harm risks, according to a new observational study published in BioMed Central.

Researchers analyzed data from more than a quarter million adults in the United Kingdom Biobank to investigate the relationship between omega-3 fatty acids and various measures of self-harm, including passive suicidal ideation and deliberate self-harm.

Individuals with the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids were associated with 33% lower odds of a history of self-harm, as well as a 14% lower risk of passive suicidal ideation in the past year.

“Our new study is extremely encouraging, as higher omega-3 levels offer a potential solution for improved mental health in the short and long-term,” said James O’Keefe, MD, a co-investigator of this study, and director of preventive cardiology at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute.

Researchers say that these findings are powerful evidence—not proof, as the study was observational and not a randomized controlled trial—that maintaining a high omega-3 level may play a role in mitigating self-harm behaviors, and improving mental health over time.

“This is an easy intervention with very low risk and massive upside,” Dr. O’Keefe said. “Striving for positive mental health affects many in our population, and our study is clinically relevant regardless of age.”

Read the full article in BioMed Central: The association between plasma omega-3 fatty acids and suicidal ideation/self-harm in the United Kingdom Biobank