Having salmon for dinner is not just good for your heart, it may also make you happier, according to a University of Pittsburgh study.
It found that omega-3 fatty acids, which are plentiful in fatty fish such as salmon, seem to affect areas of the brain associated withemotion.
Dr Sarah M. Conklin presented the findings at the American Psychosomatic Society's annual meeting in Budapest, Hungary.
The team previously observed that people with lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids were more likely to have a negative outlook and to be more impulsive, while those with higher levels were more agreeable and less likely to exhibit a sour mood.
In this study, Dr Conklin and colleagues set out to see whether the volume of grey matter in the brain, especially in areas connected to mood, was related to the amount of omega-3 fatty acid consumed.
They asked 55 healthy adults about their average intake of omega-3 fatty acids and used MRI bran scans to determine grey matter volume.
As the researchers theorised, the more omega-3 someone consumed the larger were the volumes of grey matter in areas of the brain associated with mood and regulation of emotion.
While these findings hint that omega-3s may contribute to structural improvement in parts of the brain related to emotion - the same areas where grey matter is low in people with depression - further studies are needed to show whether eating fish actually causes changes in the brain.
