Fish: Good for the Head and the Heart

It's possible that depression and heart disease don't
cause each other. They may share one underlying cause, perhaps a common
biological pathway such as subchronic inflammation. Or, say Canadian
researchers Francois Lespérance, M.D., and Nancy Frasure-Smith,
Ph.D., they might both be caused by a dietary shift to inadequate levels
of omega-3, a fatty acid essential to the body but not produced by it; it
must be supplied by diet, primarily fatty ocean fish. As critical
components of every cell membrane, omega-3 fats boost cell function.
Whether or not omega-3s are it, almost everyone believes they are a big
part of the story—and an essential part of the remedy.
They're anti-inflammatory. They act on platelets to reduce blood
clotting. They're antiarrhythmic, aiding heart rate variability
through parasympathetic channels. "They impact the multiple
mechanisms linking heart disease and depression," says Lesperance.
And they boost mood. Of two known omega-3s, depression may respond best
to EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). Hearts seem to favor a mixture of EPA and
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).