Who among us does not suffer from stress and tension? They have become characteristics of our time, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which paralyzed the world and made stress a part of our lives. Isolation measures have also contributed to our increasing feelings of fatigue even with minimal effort. However, a new study conducted by Ohio State University revealed that taking a daily dose of 2.5 grams of Omega-3 fatty acids is the best way to help the body resist the harmful effects of stress and anxiety, according to the Ohio State News website.
Researchers confirmed that taking a high daily dose of Omega-3 supplements may also help slow the effects of aging by mitigating damage and enhancing cellular protection during and after stressful events. In the study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, participants who took Omega-3 supplements produced lower amounts of the stress hormone cortisol and lower levels of inflammatory proteins during a laboratory stress event compared to a group that took a placebo.
While Omega-3 levels significantly dropped in the placebo group after the stress event, no such declines were detected in individuals who took Omega-3. The Omega-3 supplements contributed to what the researchers call stress resilience, which involves reducing damage during stress and safeguarding cellular components that diminish due to aging.
Annelise Madison, the lead author of the research paper and a graduate student in clinical psychology at Ohio State, stated, "The findings suggest that Omega-3 supplementation is one of the relatively simple changes individuals can make that can have a positive impact in breaking the chain between stress and its negative health effects."
