Depression-fighting foods work better in combination

• McLean Hospital researchers have added yet another item to the cornucopia of evidence that "we are what we eat," confirming that elements in our diet can affect not just our physical health, but our mental health as well.
• confirmed the antidepressant-like effects of omega-3 fatty acids, found in cold-water fish like sardines, tuna, and Atlantic salmon, and some plant sources such as canola oil and walnuts.
• Carlezon and colleagues also found that uridine, a compound found in sugar beets and molasses, has similar effects.
• The research was reported in a recent issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry.
• Carlezon's research, conducted with McLean colleagues Stephen Mague, Aimee Parow, Associate Professor of Psychiatry Andrew Stoll, Professor of Psychiatry and head of McLean's Psychiatry Department Bruce Cohen, and Professor of Psychiatry Perry Renshaw, was prompted by clinical studies that have shown omega-3 fatty acids to have beneficial effects on some suffering from major depression.
• It also follows on anecdotal evidence and broad trends of lower rates of depression in countries that have high fish consumption, such as Scandinavian and East Asian nations.
• Though the mechanism by which these compounds work is unknown, Carlezon said it is thought that they affect fats in the brain, perhaps by making membranes more resilient and easing the flow of neurotransmitters.
• Using laboratory rats, Carlezon and colleagues used methods that in the past have been successful at identifying compounds that work as antidepressants in humans.
• The rats were put through a 15-minute swim test during which the animals eventually stopped trying to climb out of the water tank and became largely immobile, moving just enough to keep their heads out of the water.
• Carlezon said the research reinforces the message that we have far more control over our health - both mental and physical - than we often think we do.