Abstract

We conducted this meta-analysis of double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trials to estimate the efficacy of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), in the improvement of depression. We applied a systematic bibliographic search in PubMed and EMBASE for articles published prior to 20 December 2017. This meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 and R 3.4.3, and means and standard deviations were calculated in fixed- or random-effects models based on the results of the Q-test. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted to evaluate the stability of the results, and publication bias was evaluated by a funnel plot and Egger’s linear regression analysis. Our search resulted in 180 articles; we analyzed 26 studies, which included 2160 participants. The meta-analysis showed an overall beneficial effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on depression symptoms (SMD = −0.28, P = 0.004). Compared with placebo, EPA-pure (=100% EPA) and EPA-major formulations (≥60% EPA) demonstrated clinical benefits with an EPA dosage ≤1 g/d (SMD = −0.50, P = 0.003, and SMD = −1.03, P = 0.03, respectively), whereas DHA-pure and DHA-major formulations did not exhibit such benefits.

Current evidence supports the finding that omega-3 PUFAs with EPA ≥ 60% at a dosage of ≤1 g/d would have beneficial effects on depression. Further studies are warranted to examine supplementation with omega-3 PUFAs for specific subgroups of subjects with inflammation, severity of depression, and the dose response for both EPA and DHA supplementation.

Details

Title
Efficacy of omega-3 PUFAs in depression: A meta-analysis
Author
Liao, Yuhua 1 ; Xie, Bo 1 ; Zhang, Huimin 1 ; He, Qian 1 ; Guo, Lan 2 ; Subramaniapillai, M 3 ; Fan, Beifang 1 ; Lu, Ciyong 2 ; Mclntyer, R S 3 

 Department of Psychiatry, Shenzhen Nanshan Center for Chronic Disease Control, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China 
 Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China 
 Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto; Department of Pharmacology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 
Pages
1-9
Publication year
2019
Publication date
Aug 2019
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
21583188
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2268789639
Copyright
© 2019. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.