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Advertisement | Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Boost BrainPreliminary Study Shows More Gray Matter In Brain's Mood-Regulating AreasMarch 7, 2007 ![]() Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish oils, flaxseed oil, and nuts. (CBS/The Early Show) (WebMD) Omega-3 fatty acids — found in foods including walnuts, flax, and fatty fish such as salmon and sardines — may boost brain areas that govern mood. That's the finding from a preliminary study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh's Sarah Conklin, Ph.D. Conklin studied 55 healthy adults who completed a survey on two separate days, each saying what the participants had eaten the day before. Participants also got brain scans using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Conklin focused on gray matter — which processes information — located in three brain areas that regulate mood. Participants with the highest intake of omega-3 fatty acids had the most gray matter in those brain areas, the study shows. But don't jump to conclusions. The study doesn't prove that omega-3 fatty acids build gray matter. Perhaps participants with the most gray matter in those brain areas happen to favor foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids. But if omega-3 fatty acids boost gray matter, that could explain earlier findings linking omega-3 fatty acids to mood regulation, Conklin notes. She presented the study's results in Budapest, Hungary, at the American Psychosomatic Society's 65th annual scientific conference. By Miranda Hitti | Advertisement Obama In Berlin: New Walls Must Come DownDemocrat Urges Transatlantic Unity, Cites NATO's Defeat Of Communism In Call To Combat Terror |
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