Health: Food News.

Food News

Eating and Depression

A deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids has long been linked to depression, but a new study indicates that the mood disorder may involve an excess of omega-6. Scientists at Tel Aviv University compared the brains of rats bred to be depressed with those of control rats. Though omega-3 fatty-acid levels in both groups were similar, the depressed ratsi brains had higher concentrations of a type of omega-6 called arachidonic acid. All the rats were fed the same diet, which suggests that the disease process itselfI might alter fatty-acid levels, says lead researcher Pnina Green. Still, Green suggests cutting back on omega-6 fat (in vegetable oils, meats, baked goods, and margarine) and boosting intake of omega-3 (in flaxseeds, walnuts, and deep-sea fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel). According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in American diets is 15 to 1, versus a recommended ratio of 4 to 1.

79%

of Americans donit get ?the recommended amount of calcium, 1,000 milligrams per day.

Lipo Fat

To control weight, it may help to limit not only portions, but also the variety of ?foods consumed. Hollie Raynor of Brown University Medical School and her colleagues surveyed 2,237 people who had kept off at least 30 pounds for six ?years and 96 people who had lost weight recently. The weight-loss maintainers ...