A Meta-analytic Review of Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trials of Antidepressant Efficacy of Omega-3 Fatty Acids - Drew Ramsey MD

A Meta-analytic Review of Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trials of Antidepressant Efficacy of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

by | Jan 24, 2015 | Studies | 0 comments

This study concludes that more comprehensive trials looking at the anti-depressant efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids were needed. Subsequent research continues to support the use of these fats to augment and enhance the treatment of patients with clinical depression.

Authors P.Y. Lin, K.P. Su
Institution Department of Psychiatry, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taiwan
Publication Name The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
Publication Date July 2007

Objective: Evidence has indicated an association between depression and low dietary intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). However, clinical trials examining the therapeutic benefit of omega-3 PUFAs in depression showed inconsistent results. The goal of this study is to systematically evaluate the antidepressant efficacy of omega-3 PUFAs by using meta-analytic method.
Data Sources: MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO databases were searched from 1966 through August 2006 using the key words (depression OR depressive disorder OR mood disorder) AND (omega-3 OR EPA OR DHA OR poly-unsaturated fatty acid OR fish oil). The search was limited to literature in English and clinical trials.
Study Selection: Ten double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in patients with mood disorders receiving omega-3 PUFAs with the treatment period lasting 4 weeks or longer were included.
Data Extraction: Effect size (ES) of each individual study was derived by computing the standardized mean difference. A random-effects model was used to pool the ESs of all included studies.
Data Synthesis: When pooling the results of 10 included studies (N = 329), we found a significant antidepressant effect of omega-3 PUFAs (ES = 0.61, p = .003). Likewise, omega-3 PUFAs significantly improved depression in patients with clearly defined depression (ES = 0.69, p = .002) or with bipolar disorder (ES = 0.69, p = .0009). The dosage of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) did not change the antidepressant efficacy significantly. However, significant heterogeneity among these studies and publication bias were noted.
Conclusions: Although our meta-analysis showed significant antidepressant efficacy of omega-3 PUFAs, it is still premature to validate this finding due to publication bias and heterogeneity. More large-scale, well-controlled trials are needed to find out the favorable target subjects, therapeutic dose of EPA, and the composition of omega-3 PUFAs in treating depression.

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