According to a new study, the consumption of fish oil which has omega-3 fatty acid during pregnancy may retard postpartum depression in women.

In the research, 52 pregnant women took placebo or fish oil capsules containing 300 milligrams of docosahexaenoic acid which is a prominent of omega-3 fatty acid, five days a week, each week from weeks 24 to 40 of pregnancy.

After giving birth, the women were tested for symptoms of postpartum depression which includes sleeping, anxiety, eating problems, emotional issues, confusion and thoughts of suicide, but fewer symptoms were found in those that took the capsules than those that took the placebo.

Dr. Michelle Price Judge, of the University of Connecticut School of Nursing, and colleagues, reported that there were not enough women to validate whether the DHA was responsible for the reduction.

However, Dr. Shari I. Lusskin, director of reproductive psychiatry at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, has stated the need of the study to be revised on” a larger scale ,with proper controls for a number of medical and psychosocial factors before concluding that omega-3 fatty acid consumption lowers the risk of postpartum depression” .

Moreover, she has recommended a healthy diet for a pregnant woman and her developing baby, as postpartum depression is said to affect 25% of new mothers.