Elderly people who suffer from depression may benefit from taking supplements of the omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), scientists have said.
Researchers at the University of Bordeaux in France studied 1,390 elderly people to find out whether the level of EPA in their blood was linked to the severity of their depressive symptoms.
They found that people with depression typically had 0.16 per cent lower levels of EPA than those without depression.
Publishing their findings in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the researchers suggested that the finding "adds to the growing body of evidence" in support of long-chain fatty acids in mental disorders.
The researchers noted that omega-3 fatty acids appeared to have the greatest effect in patients who were already taking antidepressants.
They concluded: "It will also be useful to determine whether clinically depressed patients with abnormally low EPA and/or DHA concentrations would benefit from supplementation."
Elderly people who suffer from depression may benefit from taking supplements of the omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), scientists have said.
