Meta-analysis and meta-regression of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation for major depressive disorder

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation has been proposed as (adjuvant) treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). In the present meta-analysis, we pooled randomized placebo-controlled trials assessing the effects of omega-3 PUFA supplementation on depressive symptoms in MDD. M...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Translational psychiatry 2016-03, Vol.6 (3), p.e756-e756
Main Authors: Mocking, R J T, Harmsen, I, Assies, J, Koeter, M W J, Ruhé, H G, Schene, A H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antidepressive Agents - therapeutic use
Depression - drug therapy
Depressive Disorder, Major - drug therapy
Dietary Supplements
Docosahexaenoic Acids - therapeutic use
Eicosapentaenoic Acid - therapeutic use
Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - therapeutic use
Humans
Original
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Regression Analysis
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Summary:Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation has been proposed as (adjuvant) treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). In the present meta-analysis, we pooled randomized placebo-controlled trials assessing the effects of omega-3 PUFA supplementation on depressive symptoms in MDD. Moreover, we performed meta-regression to test whether supplementation effects depended on eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or docosahexaenoic acid dose, their ratio, study duration, participants' age, percentage antidepressant users, baseline MDD symptom severity, publication year and study quality. To limit heterogeneity, we only included studies in adult patients with MDD assessed using standardized clinical interviews, and excluded studies that specifically studied perinatal/perimenopausal or comorbid MDD. Our PubMED/EMBASE search resulted in 1955 articles, from which we included 13 studies providing 1233 participants. After taking potential publication bias into account, meta-analysis showed an overall beneficial effect of omega-3 PUFAs on depressive symptoms in MDD (standardized mean difference=0.398 (0.114-0.682), P=0.006, random-effects model). As an explanation for significant heterogeneity (I(2)=73.36, P
ISSN:2158-3188
2158-3188
DOI:10.1038/tp.2016.29