Omega-3 Effective in Treating Depression

According to Canadian researchers, a large clinical trial using Omega-3 supplements to treat major depressive disorder shows that, for some patients, Omega-3 oil treatments can be as effective as traditional antidepressant medications.

The treatment was found to be effective for patients suffering major depressive disorders who did not also suffer from anxiety disorders.

The study was published in the online version of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and was authored by researchers from four Canadian universities: University of Montreal, McGill University, Université Laval, and Queen’s University.

The study examined over 400 men and women diagnosed with major depression. Subjects included a high proportion of patients with particularly difficult conditions, including depression that had not responded to conventional treatments and depression with co-existing anxiety disorder.

For the patients suffering both depression and anxiety, the Omega-3 supplements did not seem to be particularly useful. But for those without a simultaneous diagnosis of anxiety, eight weeks of treatment with fish oil supplements produced significant reduction in symptoms of depression.

Previous research had indicated that low levels of polyunsaturated fats might create a condition ripe for the development of psychological disorders. In addition, several small clinical studies had already documented promising results of using Omega-3 with patients suffering depression.

The new study is important because of its size–previous small studies were insufficient to indicate major potential for Omega-3 as a treatment. It is also important because it demonstrates that the supplement’s promise as a treatment for depression is limited to those patients whose depression is not accompanied by anxiety.

The study compared patients taking fish oil with patients taking a placebo. Further research comparing patients taking fish oil with those taking conventional antidepressants or with patients taking Omega-3 supplements derived from other sources will be required to determine which treatments will work best for which patients.

The dosage studied in the study was 1050 mg of EPA and 150 mg of DHA, a dosage similar to that typically recommended by those taking the supplement for heart health.

The study received financial support from isodisnatura, a European company that manufactures Omega-3 supplements.