The oil reduces inflammation and even anxiety, researchers found when they tested the supplement on a group of otherwise healthy young people. However, they believe that the elderly and those who have already been diagnosed with a chronic condition will benefit even more.
Researchers from Ohio University recruited 68 young medical students, each of whom was given either standard omega-3 capsules-which delivered around four times the amount of oil that would come from a normal serving of an oily fish, such as salmon or tuna-or a placebo.
According to profiling tests, those given the omega-3 capsules showed a 20-per-cent reduction in stress levels compared with the placebo group, and blood tests showed that inflammation levels had fallen by 14 per cent (Brain Behav Immun, 2011; doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2011.07.229).
WDDTY 22 no 7, October 2011
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