Omega 3 and Depression????

I recieved this info in an e-mail and found it very interesting!

Omega-3 EPA linked to less depression
By Stephen Daniells

13/05/2008- Increased blood levels of the omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) may reduce the severity of symptoms of depression, particularly in people taking antidepressants, suggests new research from France .

A study of 1390 subjects from Bordeaux in France reports that EPA levels in people with depressive symptoms were on average 0.16 per cent lower than in normal people, according to data published in this month's issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

"This result adds to the growing body of evidence implicating long-chain PUFAs in mental disorders," wrote the researchers from the Equipe Epidemiologie de la Nutrition et des Comportements Alimentaires (INSERM U593) and the University of Bordeaux 2.

Numerous observational studies and uncontrolled trials have reported the benefits of fish oils and omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid ( DHA ) and EPA on the behavior and learning, especially in kids, as well for improving the symptoms of depression.

"The novel finding of our survey was the significant association observed between plasma EPA and severity of the depressive symptomatology (DS) in aged subjects already taking antidepressant medication," added the researchers, led by Pascale Barberger-Gateau.