Omega-3 Fatty Acids Supplementation in the Treatment of Depression: An Observational Study

Depression is a common mood disorder characterized by persistent sadness and loss of interest. Research suggests an association between the inclusion of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet and a reduced risk for depression. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acid supplements...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of personalized medicine 2023-01, Vol.13 (2), p.224
Main Authors: Mehdi, Seema, Manohar, Kishor, Shariff, Atiqulla, Kinattingal, Nabeel, Wani, Shahid Ud Din, Alshehri, Sultan, Imam, Mohammad T, Shakeel, Faiyaz, Krishna, Kamsagara L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antidepressants
Antidepressants, Tricyclic
Brain research
Depression, Mental
Diet
Drug therapy
Fatty acids
Mental depression
Mental disorders
Mental health
Nutrition research
Observational studies
Patient compliance
Patients
Precision medicine
Statistical analysis
Veganism
Vegetarianism
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Summary:Depression is a common mood disorder characterized by persistent sadness and loss of interest. Research suggests an association between the inclusion of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet and a reduced risk for depression. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acid supplements in alleviating depressive symptoms in patients with mild to moderate depression. A total of 165 patients suffering from mild to moderated depression were randomized to receive omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, an antidepressant (single agent), or a combination of an antidepressant and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. The clinical features of depression were assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) during the follow-up period. A statistically significant improvement in depressive symptoms was observed from baseline to first, second and third follow-ups within each treatment arm as measured by HRDS scores ( = 0.00001). Further, the HDRS scores at the third follow-up were significantly lower in patients on combination therapy of omega-3 fatty acid supplement and antidepressants (arm-3) than the patients on the omega-3 fatty acid supplement alone (arm-1) [Q = 5.89; = 0.0001] or the patients taking an antidepressant alone (arm 2) [Q = 4.36; = 0.0068]. The combination of an omega-3 fatty acid supplement and an antidepressant elicited significantly higher improvement in depressive symptoms than the supplement or the antidepressant alone.
ISSN:2075-4426
2075-4426
DOI:10.3390/jpm13020224