12.05.12
A $10 million, three-year study will investigate whether or not a specially formulated omega 3 smoothie can influence U.S. military suicide rates. The multi-organizational study, funded by the Military Operational Medicine Joint Program Committee (JPC-5) and managed by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), will take place at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Research will evaluate daily supplementation of omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) in relation to risks of mental illness and suicide among veterans who are determined to be at increased risk for suicidal behaviors. A pilot sub-study of the trial will look at the impact of omega 3 supplementation and alcohol consumption in suicidal veterans and suicidal veterans with alcohol use disorders.
Researchers from MUSC, the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA, which is part of the National Institutes of Health) were awarded the study contract at a time when there have been an unprecedented number of suicides in the U.S. military. In July 2012, the Army announced that 38 soldiers were presumed dead by suicide that month alone, marking the highest number of recorded suicides since reporting began.
Researchers from MUSC, the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA, which is part of the National Institutes of Health) were awarded the study contract at a time when there have been an unprecedented number of suicides in the U.S. military. In July 2012, the Army announced that 38 soldiers were presumed dead by suicide that month alone, marking the highest number of recorded suicides since reporting began.
