Some foods just make you happier.(News) The Boston Herald; 2/11/2005; Crittenden, Jules Byline: JULES CRITTENDEN Fish, walnuts, molasses and sugar beets - feel-good food. That's the word from Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital, where researchers say rats fed and injected with substances from those foods are happier than your average rat. "The things we put into our bodies really do matter," said McLean researcher William Carlezon and lead author of the study published in next week's Biological Psychiatry. Lab rats were subjected to stress. Those who had been injected with uridine or fed a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids were slower to show signs of despair than those that had not. Carlezon said he believes the substances target the brain's mitochondria, a component key to producing energy in cells. Brain mitochondria are believed to play a role in mood and certain psychiatric conditions. The findings could eventually lead to therapies that might replace antidepressant drugs in some cases, or boost their effectiveness, allowing patients to reduce the dosage, Carlezon said. COPYRIGHT 2005 Boston Herald