From Joyce Smith
So researchers are finding a link between a lack of omega-3 fatty acids in the modern human diet and the growing epidemic of depression (24 August, p 34)?
Work at Bristol University, the Welsh Institute of Rural Studies and the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research in Aberystwyth has found that grass-fed animals have higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids than intensively reared grain-fed animals. I believe the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently came to the same conclusion.
The Scottish Agricultural College has found higher levels of the essential unsaturated fatty acids known as CLAs (conjugated linoleic acids) in grazing animals than in animals fed on silage, or even on grass cut and taken to them.
In 1999 I read in the press that battery hens fed on standard poultry feeds laid eggs devoid of omega-3, and the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 was lower in farmed salmon than in wild.
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My conclusion? The intensive farming of livestock that became widespread in the 20th century may be the cause of mental illness and misery for many millions of people across the world and may be a huge hidden cost for health services, social services and economies.
Eynsham, Witney, Oxfordshire
