Many are the studies that have tried to link eating and depression, a mental disorder that affects 300 million people in the world and about two million in our country, but they are almost never conclusive.
Now, an exhaustive analysis of 26 investigations carried out between 2001 and 2014 points to fish as a potential ally to reduce the risk of suffering from the widespread disease. Specifically, according to this meta-study, published in the online Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health , regular fish intake could reduce the risk of succumbing to depression by no less than 17%. Of course, it is an effect that has only been recorded in European investigations. The work, which has crossed data collected from more than 150,000 individuals, also infers that this decrease in the probability of becoming depressed is more pronounced in men (20%) than in women (16%).
The scientists stress that their work should only be seen as a new avenue to explore in the future. If confirmed by other studies, the beneficial effect of fish could be due to its richness in omega 3 fatty acids, which would alter the microstructures of brain membranes and modify the activity of dopamine and serotonin, neurotransmitters linked to depression.
