Happy Nurses Project gave Omega-3 for 3 months – reduced depression, insomnia, anxiety, etc for a year – RCT July 2018

Omega-3 fatty acids for a better mental state in working populations - Happy Nurse Project: A 52-week randomized controlled trial

Journal of Psychiatric Research, Volume 102, July 2018, Pages 72–80, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.03.015
Norio Watanabea, , , Yutaka Matsuokab, , Mie Kumachic, , Kei Hamazakid, , Masaru Horikoshie, , Toshi A. Furukawaa,

 Download the PDF from Sci-Hub via VitaminDWiki

 HADS questionare from the web A lower HADS number is better

Highlights
•The effectiveness of omega-3 PUFAs for prevention of depression was examined.
•Eighty nurses were randomly allocated to omega-3 or placebo for 13 weeks.
•Information about depression, anxiety and presenteeism was collected up to 52 weeks.
•No clinically important difference was comfirmed between two intervention arms.

The efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids for maintaining a better mental state has not been examined among working populations. We aimed to explore the effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acids for hospital nurses. In a multi-center randomized trial, 80 junior nurses were randomly allocated to either omega-3 fatty acids (1200 mg/day of eicosapentaenoic acid and 600 mg/day of docosahexaenoic acid) or identical placebo pills for 13 weeks. The primary outcome was the total score of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), determined by a blinded rater at week 26 from the study enrollment.
Secondary outcomes included the

• total score of the HADS at 13 and 52 weeks;
• incidence of a major depressive episode;
• severity of depression, anxiety, insomnia, burnout, and
• presenteeism;
• utility scores; and
• adverse events at 13, 26 and 52 weeks.

The mean HADS score at baseline was 7.2.
At 26 weeks, adjusted mean scores on the HADS were

• 6.32 (95% CIs of standard errors: 5.13, 7.52) in the intervention and
• 6.81 (5.57, 8.05) in the placebo groups, respectively.

The coefficient of the group by time interaction was not statistically significant at 0.58 (−1.35, 2.50; P = 0.557).
Although the intervention group showed

• significant superiority on the HADS score at 52 weeks,
• depression severity at 52 weeks,
• insomnia severity at 13 weeks, and
• absolute presenteeism at 26 weeks,
  • no significant superiority or inferiority was observed on the other outcomes.

The additive value of omega-3 fatty acids was not confirmed regarding mental state and self-evaluated work efficiency.