Behavior linked to consumption of fish oil

People who eat fish rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and tuna, appear to have less hostility than those who don’t eat such fish.

Dr. Carlos Ibarren, a researcher with Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, and colleagues at several medical centers analyzed eating habits and psychological tests of 3,581 urban adults, ages 18 to 30, who participated in a federal heart study. After the researchers adjusted for such factors as age, sex, race, education, employment, smoking, drinking and weight, they found that eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids was an independent predictor that someone would score lower on measurements of hostility, including cynicism and mistrust of others, anger and aggression.

The findings, published in the January issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, follow Japanese research from 2000 that found fish oil supplements lowered aggression in students dealing with the stresses of final exams, and a 1992 U.S. study that found a cholesterol-lowering high-fish diet reduced hostility and depression in adults.

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-- Jane E. Allen