Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Vitamin D in Prevention of Perinatal Depression

Background: Perinatal depression(PD) is a worldwide public health issue that in low and middle income countries, is more frequent than high-income countries and has serious effects on mother’s mental health and physical,behavioral and cognitive development and nutrition of infants.The etiology of PD is not fully explained, some of its risk factors are:drop of sexual hormones after childbirth,disruption of serotonergic system with low serotonin levels,the increased release of stress-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines and deficiency in micronutrients such as vitamin D, minerals and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Among these,nutrition deficiency can easily modified to alleviate the symptoms.Methods: This is a review of studies reporting the effect of some nutrients on Perinatal depression published up to 2018.Results: Pregnancy and lactation deplete nutrients essential to the neurotransmission system. This may be a reason for the increased risk of depression during the perinatal period.Depression is associated with dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis function, overactivity of the sympatho-adrenal system, and increased level of inflammatory markers. Vitamin D has shown to down-regulate inflammatory mediators that have been linked to depression and a direct neuroregulatory activity.Pregnancy and lactation are periods when demand of omega-3 fatty acids from the fetus and the newborn are very high. Mothers may become depleted of omega-3 essential fatty acids, and be at a higher risk of suffering PD. Omega-3 deficiency affects neurotransmission and induces neuro-inflammation in brain. So a lengthy replenishment of docosahexaenoic acid in neuronal cellular membrane restores the brain neurotransmission function and a short-term supplementation of eicosapentaenoic acid to suppress the neuro-inflammation and depression.Conclusion: Dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids and vit.D during pregnancy and postpartum reduces some symptoms of depression. Further studies are needed to identify optimal dosage and adequate timing for appropriate recommendations for prevention of PD.

Keywords:

depression-pregnancy-fatty acids , omega 3- vitamin D