Higher intakes of omega-3 fatty acids and oily fish may reduce the number of occasions that women suffer depressive symptoms by about 30 per cent, says a new study. Women with the highest intake of oily fish reduced their number of depressive moments by 25 %, while a high intake of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA reduced this number by 29%, according to researchers from Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of California, San Francisco. “Our results are consistent with […] other epidemiologic studies that have examined the association of fish intake or dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids with depressive disorders or mental disorders,” wrote the researchers.

Low levels of vitamin D may reduce the muscle power and force in adolescent girls, according to a new study from the UK. The researchers from the University of Manchester report that the vitamin D levels of 99 adolescent girls between the ages of 12 and 14 was linked with muscle power and force. “We know vitamin D deficiency can weaken the muscular and skeletal systems, but until now, little was known about the relationship of vitamin D with muscle power and force,” said lead author of the study Kate Ward, PhD.

Women who consume greater amounts of lignans, the ingredient in seeds that is found especially in flaxseed, tend to have lower total body fat mass, says a new study from Canada. A study of 115 post-menopausal women showed that those with the highest blood levels of enterolactone, a Lignan metabolite, had a BMI 4 kg/m2 less than women with the lowest average blood levels, according to results published online ahead of print in the British Journal of Nutrition.   Moreover, the highest blood levels of enterolactone were also associated with 8.5 kg less body fat, compared to women with the lowest levels, report researchers from Laval University in Quebec.

If you have a low level of vitamin D you may have an increased risk of suffering with cognitive impairment if you are elderly, according to findings from the nationally representative, population-based Health Survey for England 2000. To date there has been largely theoretical support for the role of vitamin D in maintaining brain function in old age, lacking hard clinical data the researchers note.   Dr.

Lycopene is a carotenoid found in red fruits and vegetables. It is a pigment that makes tomatoes red. Recently British researchers have found that consuming hearty servings of Lycopene rich foods reduce the amount of skin burning and damage caused by solar radiation comparable to a weak sunscreen.