Here’s a fascinating story about how we humans might just be getting way too many omega-6 fats in our diets and not enough omega-3 fats. The result? Possibly higher rates of severe depression, suicide and other forms of mental illness.
This excerpt speaks volumes:
The modern American diet is vastly different from the one upon which our ancestors evolved. Our ancestors consumed about equal amounts of omega-3 fats and omega-6 fats, the other polyunsaturated fats (found in vegetable oils) that compete with omega-3s for space in the brain. Today, Americans get 10 to 25 times more omega-6s than omega-3s, partly because we don’t eat as many omega-3-rich fish, such as salmon and sardines (or wild animals, which are also higher in omega-3s), but mostly because our diets now contain processed foods that are packed with omega-6-rich oils, including oils made from soybeans, safflower and corn.
Hibbeln [the featured researcher in the article] presented the possibility that this dramatic shift could have changed the way our brains function—sort of as if a car designed to run on unleaded gas suddenly started using diesel. Might it even trigger or perpetuate psychiatric illnesses? Hibbeln offers an interesting correlation: statistics suggest that depression and homicide rates have risen steadily over the past century—the same time period during which Americans’ annual per capita intake of omega-6-rich oils increased by nearly 500 percent, from 11 pounds to 64 pounds.
Of course, there are detractors from Hibbeln’s work. Other researchers don’t arrive at the same conclusions, and other studies suggest a much weaker connection between omega-3s and mental health. Still, as part of a healthy diet, foods rich in omega-3s play a big role.
Since one of the biggest sources of omega-3s is fish like salmon and tuna, we’re curious: What types of fish do you eat? Are you a fan of uber-healthy salmon, or is the greasy Friday fish fry at [name your favorite place] more your thing?
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