Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, has written an editorial in
Military Medicine that highlighted omega 3s as an example of ways to improve the fitness of U.S. military forces, according to the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega 3 (GOED).
The editorial urged scientists to research tools that provide the U.S. military with better ways to improve "total force fitness," which he described as providing both mental and physical benefits.
“The statement by the U.S. military's top commander is a significant step forward in changing perceptions of how mental health is addressed in soldiers,” according to GOED.
Adm. Mullen wrote, "Even if one still believes that success in war is all about boots on the ground, one has to concede that being concerned about the state of a soldier's mind is just as important as the state of his or her weapons system."
Importantly, GOED says, omega 3s were the only tool he cited, nutritional or otherwise, as having potential in improving total force fitness, writing: "The emerging science behind the positive effects of omega 3 fatty acids on mood indicate that diet is not simply a matter of maintaining ideal body weight."
In its newsletter, GOED said: “This is not to say that other tools do not have similar potential, but the specific mention of omega 3s means the U.S. military is giving serious thought to the role they can play in soldiers' health.”
Adm. Mullen’s full editorial can be found
here.