Rats on omega-3-enriched diets were less anxious but more impulsive, and adolescent THC exposure interacted with diet and sex to influence adult behavior.
Nutritional neuroscience researchers; cannabis and brain development scientists.
Diet x THC x sex interaction shaped adult anxiety and impulsivity
What the researchers found
In 164 rats fed omega-3, -6, or -9 enriched diets from conception, diet significantly affected social behavior, anxiety, cognitive flexibility, and impulse control. Omega-3 rats were less anxious and more impulsive than omega-6. THC x diet x sex interaction significant for anxiety and impulsivity.
Why it matters
Diet is a modifiable factor that could influence vulnerability to THC effects during brain development.
The numbers in context
164 rats, 3 diet groups. Omega-3: less anxiety, more impulsivity vs omega-6. THC x diet x sex interaction significant.
How the study worked
164 Sprague Dawley rats (male and female) on lifelong enriched diets. Tested in adulthood on multiple behavioral paradigms. Some received adolescent THC.
What this study cannot tell us
Animal model. Novel fatty acid ratios limit comparison. Multiple behavioral tests increase false positive risk.
How to read the evidence
Animal study with novel dietary paradigm; hypothesis-generating.
When this study was published
2025 study
The bigger picture
This could explain why clinical omega-3 trials show only moderate benefits; context including background diet and cannabis exposure matters.
Questions still open
- Would dietary interventions modify cannabis vulnerability in human adolescents? Does the omega-6/omega-3 ratio matter more than absolute intake?
Common questions
Why does diet matter for cannabis effects?
Should teens eat more omega-3s?
Read the original research
Lifelong dietary Omega-3, -6, and -9 ratios shape adult behavior and response to adolescent THC exposure in rats.
Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior, 256, 174086
Citation
Frajerman, Ariel; Marzo, Aude; Chaumette, Boris; Jay, Thérèse M; Demars, Fanny; Lamazière, Antonin; Kebir, Oussama; Krebs, Marie-Odile; Le Pen, Gwenaëlle. (2025). Lifelong dietary Omega-3, -6, and -9 ratios shape adult behavior and response to adolescent THC exposure in rats.. Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior, 256, 174086. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2025.174086
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