Lifestyle

Eating Fish Helps Significantly Reduce Depression For Women

by Katie Gonzalez
Stocksy

The advent of summer means a lot more seafood options on seasonal menus — and that might be a good thing, not just for your stomach, but also for your mental health.

In a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers discovered that by consuming seafood at least twice a week, the risk of depression in women decreased 25 percent.

The scientists from the Menzies Research Institute in Tasmania, Australia, believed that the high level of omega-3 acids found in fish and other creatures of the sea likely reacted with the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone to help women's brains function at their best — and happiest — level.

"For women, there was a trend for each additional weekly serving of fish to reduce the risk of having depression during follow-up by 6 percent. Women who ate fish more than two times per week at baseline had a 25 percent lower risk of having depression during follow-up than those who ate fish less than two times per week."

Although the study surveyed over 1,400 men and women aged 26 to 36 over the course of five years, researchers said they found no correlation between seafood consumption and men's mental state — so the benefits of a fish-heavy diet to help reduce depression are only observed in the female brain.

H/T: Daily Mail, Photo Courtesy: We Heart It