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A study conducted by Appleton KM, Voyias PD, Sallis HM, Dawson S, Ness AR, Churchill R, Perry R. Omega‐3 fatty acids for depression in adults and published in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2021, Issue 11. Art. No.: CD004692. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004692.pub5. and was Accessed 28 November 2021 highlighted the following facts :
Omega‐3 fatty acids for depression in adults
Why is this review important?
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterised by a depressed mood or a markedly decreased pleasure or interest in all activities, or both. It has negative impacts on the individual and on society, often over the long term. One possible treatment for MDD is n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n‐3PUFAs), also known as omega‐3 oils, naturally found in fatty fish, in some other seafood and in some nuts and seeds. Various lines of evidence suggest that n‐3PUFAs may impact on depressive symptoms, but a lot of studies have different findings, making it difficult to draw conclusions.
Who will be interested in this review?
Health professionals, including general practitioners, mental health and psychiatric specialists; individuals with MDD; and the people around them.
What questions does this review aim to answer?
Do n‐3PUFAs, compared to an alternative, have an effect on depressive symptoms, negative side effects, rates of recovery, quality of life, and rates of study non‐completion, in individuals with MDD?
Which studies were included in the review?
This review is an update of earlier work (Appleton 2015), using the same methods. We searched scientific databases for all randomised controlled trials in adults with MDD, where individuals received either n‐3PUFAs or an alternative, that were completed up to January 2021.
We have included 35 relevant studies: 34 of them involving 1924 people compared the effects of n‐3PUFAs with those of placebo, and one study involving 40 people compared the effects of n‐3PUFAs with those of antidepressants. All studies were of direct relevance to our review, but we considered the certainty of the evidence to be low to very low.
What does the evidence from the review tell us?
At present, we do not have enough high-quality evidence to determine the effects of n‐3PUFAs as a treatment for MDD. We found a small‐to‐modest positive effect of n‐3PUFAs compared to placebo, but the size of this effect is unlikely to be meaningful to people with MDD, and we considered the evidence to be of low or very low certainty, with many differences between studies. There was also insufficient high-quality evidence to determine the effects of n‐3PUFAs on negative side effects or numbers not completing studies.
What should happen next?
We need more evidence, particularly to explain the differences between study findings, e.g. by looking at individuals who may or may not benefit from n‐3PUFAs. Future studies should also compare n‐3PUFAs with usual antidepressant treatment, and investigate the way these treatments may work.
