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Article

The Efficacy of Omega-3 Fatty Acids as the Monotherapy for Depression: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study

by
Suet-Kei Wu
1,2,
Kai-Jie Yang
1,
Wen-Chun Liu
3,
Ikbal Andrian Malau
1,4,
Halliru Zailani
1,2,
Cheng-Ho Chang
5,
Shih-Yi Huang
6,
Jane Pei-Chen Chang
1,7,8,
Wei-Che Chiu
9,10,* and
Kuan-Pin Su
1,4,7,11,*
1
Mind-Body Interface Research Center (MBI-Lab), China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 404, Taiwan
2
Graduate Institute of Nutrition, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan
3
Department of Nursing, National Tainan Junior College of Nursing, Tainan 700, Taiwan
4
Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan
5
Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan
6
School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
7
College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan
8
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division, Department of Psychiatry, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 404, Taiwan
9
Department of Psychiatry, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei 106, Taiwan
10
School of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taipei 242, Taiwan
11
An-Nan Hospital, China Medical University, Tainan 709, Taiwan
 
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Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2024, 16(21), 3688; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16213688
Submission received: 10 September 2024 / Revised: 11 October 2024 / Accepted: 24 October 2024 / Published: 29 October 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional & Lifestyle Psychiatry: The Role of Nutrition and Lifestyle in the Onset, Prevention and Management of Mental Disorders)
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Abstract

Objective: Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) have demonstrated protective effects in major depressive disorder (MDD) patients receiving antidepressant treatment. However, there have been a few double-blind randomized controlled trials focused on n-3 PUFAs as monotherapy in MDD, and the outcomes have been mixed. This study aimed to assess the clinical effects of n-3 PUFAs monotherapy in patients with MDD. Methods: A total of 60 patients with MDD participated in this 12-week double-blind randomized controlled trial. They were randomized to either the n-3 PUFAs group (n = 30; 3.2 g of eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA and docosahexaenoic acid, DHA per day) or the placebo group (n = 30; 3.2 g of soybean oil per day). The severity of depression was evaluated using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD). Results: The n-3 PUFAs group had a significantly lower HRSD score compared with the placebo group at week 4 (p = 0.004), week 6 (p = 0.006), week 8 (p = 0.004), and week 12 (p = 0.01). The n-3 PUFAs group showed slightly higher rates for both remission (26.7% vs. 10%, p = 0.095) and response (23.3% vs. 6.7%, p = 0.145) compared with the placebo group at week 12, but these differences did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: These findings suggested that monotherapy of n-3 PUFAs could improve depression and potentially serve as an alternative option for MDD patients.
Keywords: depression; monotherapy; n-3 PUFAs; RCT depression; monotherapy; n-3 PUFAs; RCT

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MDPI and ACS Style

Wu, S.-K.; Yang, K.-J.; Liu, W.-C.; Malau, I.A.; Zailani, H.; Chang, C.-H.; Huang, S.-Y.; Chang, J.P.-C.; Chiu, W.-C.; Su, K.-P. The Efficacy of Omega-3 Fatty Acids as the Monotherapy for Depression: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study. Nutrients 2024, 16, 3688. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16213688

AMA Style

Wu S-K, Yang K-J, Liu W-C, Malau IA, Zailani H, Chang C-H, Huang S-Y, Chang JP-C, Chiu W-C, Su K-P. The Efficacy of Omega-3 Fatty Acids as the Monotherapy for Depression: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study. Nutrients. 2024; 16(21):3688. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16213688

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wu, Suet-Kei, Kai-Jie Yang, Wen-Chun Liu, Ikbal Andrian Malau, Halliru Zailani, Cheng-Ho Chang, Shih-Yi Huang, Jane Pei-Chen Chang, Wei-Che Chiu, and Kuan-Pin Su. 2024. "The Efficacy of Omega-3 Fatty Acids as the Monotherapy for Depression: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study" Nutrients 16, no. 21: 3688. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16213688

APA Style

Wu, S.-K., Yang, K.-J., Liu, W.-C., Malau, I. A., Zailani, H., Chang, C.-H., Huang, S.-Y., Chang, J. P.-C., Chiu, W.-C., & Su, K.-P. (2024). The Efficacy of Omega-3 Fatty Acids as the Monotherapy for Depression: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study. Nutrients, 16(21), 3688. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16213688

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