Lee Swanson Research Update

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Ward off Depression In Rats

April 2005

Scientists have found that omega-3 fatty acids and uridine—a natural substance found in foods—work as well as antidepressants in preventing signs of depression.

Researchers at the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA studied rats, using a well-established animal model of depression. The rats were placed in a tank of water, where they had no choice but to swim. After a while, the rats realized swimming was futile, so they began to float, a sign of surrender to depression. Given an antidepressant drug, however, they started swimming again, researchers said.

But researchers found that individually and combined, omega-3 fatty acids and uridine also helped. In fact, they found that combined doses of omega-3s and uridine were as effective as three different antidepressants in prompting rats to swim again.

Omega-3 fatty acids are well-known ingredients in many fish, and are most abundant in oily species such as salmon and tuna. They are also available in supplements. Cardiologists recommend a diet rich in oily fish because omega-3 fatty acids are good for the circulatory system. And what’s good for the heart is also good for the brain.

Uridine is a different matter. It’s not found in high levels in any particular food. It is an important element in mother’s milk, and baby formula is enriched with uridine because it is essential for early nerve growth. At the present time there are no uridine supplements.

Researchers concluded that omega-3 fatty acids and uridine “each have antidepressant-like effects in rats. Less of each agent is required for effectiveness when the treatments are administered together.”

Biological Psychiatry 57(4):343-350, 2005

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