Suicide deaths in the U.S. military have escalated to record numbers. Since the start of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, more than 1,100 soldiers have taken their lives, including a record 301 last year alone. In July 2011, the Army reported 32 soldiers had committed suicide, which is the highest monthly suicide toll yet reported.

Military troops are not machines, and in the face of so much repeated trauma and mental anguish it's easy to understand how a person's mental health could break down. But this deterioration is certainly not helped by an epidemic deficiency of omega-3 fats, as National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) researchers recently revealed.

In analyzing a sample of suicide deaths among U.S. military personnel on active duty between 2002 and 2008, researchers found that suicide risk was greatest among individuals with the lowest levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a type of omega-3 fat concentrated in your brain.

-- U.S. military personnel with the lowest levels of the animal-based omega-3 fat DHA were at the greatest risk of committing suicide

-- All U.S. service members were found deficient in animal-based omega-3 fats

-- Omega-3 fats play an important role in positive mental health and may help relieve depressive symptoms and reduce suicide risks

Your brain is actually 60 percent DHA, which is why whether you're trying to address depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or any other mental health problem getting enough animal-based omega-3 fat is essential.

Suicide is unfortunately an all too common complication of depression with about 30,000 people dying every year in the U.S. alone.Low DHA levels have been linked to this condition. Studies have shown that as DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, another omega-3 fat) levels rise, depressive symptoms drop. Dr. Stoll, a Harvard psychiatrist, was one of the early leaders in compiling the evidence supporting the use of animal-based omega-3 fats for the treatment of depression. He wrote an excellent book that details his experience in this area called The Omega-3 Connection.

Not getting enough omega-3 fats is known to change the levels and functioning of both serotonin and dopamine (which plays a role in feelings of pleasure), as well as compromise the blood-brain barrier, which normally protects your brain from unwanted matter gaining access. Omega-3 deficiency can also decrease normal blood flow to your brain, an interesting finding given that studies show people with depression have compromised blood flow to a number of brain regions.

Internet site reference: http://www.mercola.com