Regular consumption of large amounts of fish can reduce the risk of clinical depression.

To this conclusion came the authors of a curious article appeared in the latest issue of the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

They conducted a meta-analysis of all studies published from 2001 to 2014, which in one way or another can link the risk of depression and the consumption of fish products.

"Regular consumption of large quantities of fish can be a valuable approach to primary prevention of depression. We found that the effectiveness of this approach depends on the type of fish. To confirm this, additional studies should be carried out, "the scientists write.

Depression now affects the lives of more than 350 million people around the world and is one of the leading causes of disability and quality of life. If the depression continues to currently capture the world, then by 2020 it will become the second medical cause of economic losses after cardiovascular diseases.

Unfortunately, modern methods of treatment of depression do not give satisfactory results, which is associated with low compliance of patients, and with numerous side effects. Not surprisingly, thousands of researchers are actively working on fundamentally new approaches to the prevention and treatment of this mysterious disease.

One of the promising approaches to the prevention of depression is the correction of the diet. Many scientists say that changing food affects the risk of depression, but so far little is known about the impact of specific foods such as fruits, vegetables, meat or fish.

Fish reduces the risk of depression by 17%, but only in Europe. In their analysis, the researchers included 26 suitable studies, involving a total of more than 150 thousand people from Europe, Asia, North and South America, Oceania.

A few facts about depression:.

• Major depressive disorder is the most common of psychoemotional disorders.

• Annually in the US, about 6.7% of adults turn to doctors about BDR.

• Depression is considered a multifactorial disease that is caused by a complex of genetic, psychological and external causes.

The authors found in European studies a clear link between fish consumption and the risk of depression. In European countries, fish lovers by 17% (20% for men and 16% for women) were less likely to suffer from clinical depression than those who rarely eat fish.

Nevertheless, this is not confirmed by studies conducted on other continents.

Also, when analyzing European studies, it was found that the effect depends on the type of fish, the method of storage and preparation, but the authors did not make final conclusions on this matter.

They offer the following biological explanation of the phenomenon: omega-3 fatty acids can affect the structure of the meninges and the level of neurotransmitters of dopamine and serotonin in the body. These two substances are generally believed to play an important role in the development of depression.

"In addition, fish has always been a valuable source of high-quality proteins, vitamins and minerals, which have a positive effect on overall health," the authors add..

medbe. en.