{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T10:18:50Z","timestamp":1788257930230,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788220800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Omega-3 fatty acids may be relevant to mental health, but evidence among university students remains limited. This small exploratory cross-sectional study examined associations between estimated dietary omega-3 intake and anxiety and depressive symptoms among university students in the UK. Methods: Data were collected between February and May 2025. Habitual dietary EPA + DHA and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) intakes were estimated using an adapted omega-3 food-frequency questionnaire, while 24-h dietary recall was used to estimate energy intake. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were assessed using the GAD-7 and PHQ-9. The primary association between estimated dietary EPA + DHA intake and GAD-7 score was examined using linear regression adjusted for age, sex, energy intake, and alcohol use. Analyses involving ALA and PHQ-9 were exploratory. Results: Of 96 students recruited, 50 (52.1%) were analysed after 46 exclusions, most commonly for omega-3 supplement use (n = 21) or diagnosed mental-health conditions (n = 16). Mean GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores were 6.66 \u00b1 4.73 and 7.02 \u00b1 4.76, respectively. In the fully adjusted model, each additional 100 mg\/day of estimated dietary EPA + DHA intake was associated with a 0.325-point lower GAD-7 score, but the association was not statistically significant (B = \u22120.325; 95% CI: \u22120.725 to 0.074; p = 0.108). Exploratory analyses found no significant associations of estimated dietary EPA + DHA or ALA intake with anxiety or depressive symptoms. The inverse coefficient lost statistical significance after full adjustment, and the log-transformed coefficient reversed direction and remained non-significant, arguing against a consistent dose\u2013response relationship. Conclusions: Estimated dietary EPA + DHA intake showed an inverse but inconclusive association with anxiety symptoms in this small exploratory sample. These preliminary findings are hypothesis-generating and require confirmation in larger longitudinal studies using repeated dietary assessments and biomarkers of omega-3 status.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu18172858","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T09:48:36Z","timestamp":1788256116000},"page":"2858","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake, Anxiety, and Depression Among University Students in the UK: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-3797-6121","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mine","family":"Mumcu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Human Sciences, London Metropolitan University, London N7 8DB, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6014-4952","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"John K.","family":"Lodge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Human Sciences, London Metropolitan University, London N7 8DB, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0322-0397","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hasan Kaan","family":"Kavsara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Yeditepe University, Istanbul 34755, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"97","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2017.07.044","article-title":"Mental Health Problems in College Freshmen: Prevalence and Academic Functioning","volume":"225","author":"Bruffaerts","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. 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