Eating More Fish Can Lower Depression By 17%, Study

Consuming more fish can bring down the risk of depression by 17 percent, according to new research.

Fang Li, lead author from Qingdao University in Shandong, China, and his colleagues reviewed 26 studies, published between 2001 and 2014, which studied 150,278 participants that found a link between fish consumption and depression.

Studies show that consumers of the most fish show a 17 percent lower risk of depression compared to those who ate less.

"Studies we reviewed indicated that high fish consumption can reduce the incidence of depression, which may indicate a potential causal relationship between fish consumption and depression," Li said to HealthDay News.

The reason is that perhaps omega-3 fatty acids in fish impact dopamine and serotonin chemicals in the brain, which affects our emotions, movements and feelings of pleasure and pain. Another theory states that regular consumers of fish tend to eat healthy diets that keep them mentally healthy.

"High fish consumption may also be related to a healthier diet and better nutritional status, which could contribute to the lower risk of depression," Li told Live Science.

Howver, people should not "generalize" the study because other factors that lead to depression include thyroid disease, poor sleeping habits, Facebook overload, environment and some medications.

"It is important not to oversimplify the results as there are lots of different factors in the development of depression," Rachel Boyd, information manager at Mind that recently published a guide, Food and Mood, told BBC. She is not involved in the study.

"But we really agree that having these fatty acids in your diet can be helpful, and it's something where people can make quite small changes that could have quite a big impact," according to hngn.

The study was published in the Sept. 10 issue of the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.