Fat, the Bastard

WHAT ABOUT REGULAR DEPRESSIVES — THE 28 million Americans (one in 10!) — who are not manic but are now taking SSRI antidepressants, such as Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft? Joseph Hibbeln, of the National Institutes of Health, believes that the huge rise in depression in the Western world over the past half-century is a direct consequence of a dietary revolution. Thousands of years ago, our ancestors would have been eating tons of leafy greens, fish and wild game, all of which are high in omega-3s. Having studied societies around the world, Hibbeln has noted a significant correlation between consumption of omega-3s and the incidence of depression. In Japan, where fish is still one of the major food groups, the reported rate of depression is just 1 percent of the population. Hibbeln believes that low omega-3s are implicated not only in depression but also in the Western world's high rates of homicide and suicide.

Skeptics point out that such differences may be due more to cultural factors; in Asia, depression is often seen as shameful and is probably underreported. While that is no doubt true, Hibbeln points out that when other cultures switch to Western diets, they too slide quickly down depression's sickly slope. Fatty acids have been shown to affect the neurotransmitter serotonin, the target of SSRI drugs, and Hibbeln has found that people with low levels of omega-3s in their spinal fluid also have low levels of serotonin. Marangell stresses that a great deal more research is needed; yet, while she remains cautious about the power of omega-3s to cure depression, she is unequivocal when I ask if we should all be considering fish-oil capsules. Absolutely, she says, recommending a daily dose of around 500 milligrams.

No one is saying that omega-3s alone will dispel our psychic clouds. Clearly there are many reasons to be depressed (not least, the recent election results), but it is an interesting and perhaps invigorating thought — that to whatever extent chemicals are involved, the resolution may lie not in your doctor's script, but in the contents of your fridge.