Fish consumption, not fatty acid status, is related to quality of life in a healthy population
Received 20 May 2009; received in revised form 30 September 2009; accepted 12 February 2010. published online 08 March 2010.
Abstract
Depressive symptoms in the community have a considerable impact on quality of life. Although long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) have frequently been implicated in depressed mood, their relationship with quality of life has scarcely been investigated.
This study examined the cross-sectional associations between fish consumption and plasma phospholipid LCPUFA status on the one hand, and quality of life, as measured by the Short Form 36 questionnaire, on the other in a population-based sample. The mental health component of quality of life was not associated with LCPUFA status or fish consumption. Fish consumption showed a positive association with physical well-being, which remained significant after correction for LCPUFA status, suggesting that the relationship between fish consumption and physical well-being is independent of the LCPUFA content of fish. These findings indicate that fish consumption may serve as a proxy for a healthy lifestyle or a favorable nutritional status, which is reflected in better quality of life.
aSchool for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS)/European Graduate School for Neuroscience (EURON), Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
bAZIRE Research Institute, Faculty of Psychology and Education, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands