Heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, like those found in fish, may give a boost to behavior, mood and personality, new research suggests.

fatty acid n. 脂肪酸　boost n. 帮助、鼓舞、提高

University of Pittsburgh researchers found that volunteers with lower blood levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids were more likely than others to be impulsive¹, to have a more negative outlook, and to report mild or moderate symptoms of depression. Study participants with higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids were found to be more agreeable, however.

polyunsaturated adj. 多未饱和的　impulsive adj. 冲动的　negative adj. 消极的
symptom n.症状　depression n.沮丧、消沉　agreeable adj.惬意的、使人愉快的

The findings were presented Friday at the American Psychosomatic Society meeting, in Denver.

"A number of previous studies have linked lower levels of omega-3 to clinically significant conditions such as major depressive disorder², bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance abuse and attention-deficit disorder," Sarah Conklin, a postdoctoral scholar with the psychiatry³ department's Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine Program, said in prepared statement.

bipolar disorder 两极性精神紊乱 schizophrenia 精神分裂症 psychiatry 精神病学

"However, few studies have shown that these relationships also occur in healthy adults. This study opens the door for future research looking at what effect increasing omega-3 intake⁴, whether by eating omega-3 rich foods like salmon⁵, or taking fish-oil supplements, has on people's mood," Conklin said.

salmon n. 鲑鱼、大麻哈鱼

　　中文：

　　最新公布的一项研究结果显示，通常存在于鱼肉中的omega-3脂肪酸不仅有益于人体心脏健康，还可能改善个人行为方式并对心情与性格产生激励作用。

　　据美国“每日健康”（HealthDay News）网站3月4日报道，美国匹兹堡大学研究人员近日研究发现，在参加研究的志愿者中，血液中omega-3多不饱和脂肪酸含量较低的人比较容易冲动，他们对未来的看法更消极，更多地呈现出轻度或中度的抑郁症状。然而，那些血液中omega-3含量较高的参与者却显得更加气顺心和。这项研究成果是3月3日在美国身心健康协会年度会议上被公诸于众的。

　　正在匹兹堡大学从事博士后研究工作的莎拉-康克林表示，“通过此前多次研究，科学家认为血液中omega-3脂肪酸含量较低与严重抑郁症、两极性精神紊乱（特点为躁狂与抑郁并发）、精神分裂症、滥用药物以及注意力不集中等临床症状有关”“但此前很少有研究显示上述联系（omega-3脂肪酸含量低与临床病症有关）也会发生在健康的成年人身上”。那么，omega-3脂肪酸摄入量的增加到底会对一个人的情绪产生何种影响呢？康克林说，3日公布的研究结果为将来同类研究提供了线索。