Depression treated by Omega-3 (again) – meta-analysis

Efficacy of omega-3 PUFAs in depression: A meta-analysis

Translational Psychiatryvolume 9, Article number: 190 (2019)

Yuhua Liao, Bo Xie, Huimin Zhang, Qian He, Lan Guo, M. Subramaniapillai, Beifang Fan, Ciyong Lu & R. S. Mclntyer

Study found that EPA, not DHA, provided the benefit 1. # Items in both categories Depression and Omega-3 are listed here: {category} 1. # Items in both categories Depression and Meta-analysis are listed here: {category} 1. # Items in both categories Depression and non-daily Vitamin D are listed here: {category} Note: Depression is like several other health problems which are treated better than weekly than daily dosing

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Forest plot for Omega-2 (PDF does NOT have forest plot for EPA)

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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.