Plasma omega-3 and psychological distress among Nunavik Inuit (Canada).
Marine omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids have been associated with beneficial effects in mental health. Cultural and social changes have been related to a decline in mental health of the Inuit, but the role of diet has received scant attention. We examined the relationship between psychological distress (PD) and plasma n-3 among 368 Nunavik Inuit aged 18-74 years who took part in a survey in 1992. Participants were categorized as high-level PD if they scored over the 80th percentile of the PD Index Santé-Québec Survey (PDISQS-14), and non-distressed subjects were those who scored less than this cutoff. Compared with the non-distressed group, n-3 concentrations in the PD group were significantly lower in women but not in men. Compared with the lowest tertile of EPA + DHA, the odds ratios for high-level PD among women were 0.32 (95% CI: 0.13-0.82) for the second, and 0.30 (95% CI: 0.10-0.90) for the third tertile, after controlling for confounders. In males, there were no significant associations between EPA+DHA and PDISQS-14 scores. Our findings suggest that marine n-3 may play a role in PD among Inuit women. The gender difference observed in our analysis must be examined more carefully in future studies.
Lucas
Michel
M
Public Health Research Unit, Laval University Medical Research Centre (CHUQ), Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada.
Dewailly
Eric
E
Blanchet
Carole
C
Gingras
Suzanne
S
Holub
Bruce J
BJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000097:blood; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D004930:Inuit / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011792:Quebec / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D017747:Seafood; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D005227:Fatty Acids; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids