Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been talking about how omega 3 supplements can help in the treatment of depression. Recent preliminary research shows that these supplements are as good as antidepressant medications and can work in as little as 2 weeks. They can be taken alongside antidepressant medications and there are no adverse side effects.
So let’s get to the chase.
You’re wanting to know what doses to take aren’t you? Well here it is. I’ve based these recommendations on the latest research.
Adult Omega 3 Dosage Recommendations for depression:
- 1000-2000mg EPA daily AND
- 500-1500mg DHA daily
Don’t do it wrong!
There’s some things that you should note about taking omega 3 for depression.
1) The fish oil needs to be high quality. Don’t just find one in the bargain bin; you’ll want to check that they have been tested for heavy metals & pesticides (and that they don’t have any in them!)
2) You’ll want to buy concentrated fish oil. Most standard fish oil capsules have about 100-200 mg of EPA in them. This means that you’ll have to take 10 capsules PER DAY to get the right dose. You may want to consider getting high quality, highly concentrated liquid fish oil. It means you’ll only have to take 1 teaspoon per day. Now that’s much easier than taking 10 capsules!
3) Some people think that the DHA component of fish oil (It’s a specific form of omega 3) would be most helpful for depression. DHA is found in higher concentrations in the brain in comparison to EPA. But the research says at the moment that it is the EPA form of omega 3 that is most useful for depression. DHA on its own doesn’t help. So when you do buy and take your fish oil omega 3, make sure it has MORE EPA in it than DHA (in a similar ratio to my dosage suggestions above).
Many people ask me what’s a good brand of fish oil? What can we trust?
To make it easy for you today, I’ve provided a link to a product that I like below.
Talk to you again soon.
All the best
Janelle
Dr Janelle Sinclair
Clinical Biochemist
Most people suffering from bouts of depression, anxiety and general mood disorders that greatly affect their quality of life don’t even know that they have non-prescription options to treat their depression effectively.
Instead, most people will either “bite the bullet” through the rough times, or they will seek the advice of a professional such as a phychiatrist or psychologist, and perhaps go through counseling, or be put on a prescription antidepressant such as Zoloft or Prozac. Did you know that antidepressants are currently the third leading classification of prescription drugs by overall revenue and profitability?