Trial reportNutrition journal2012
Comparison between the AA/EPA ratio in depressed and non depressed elderly females: omega-3 fatty acid supplementation correlates with improved symptoms but does not change immunological parameters.
Trial report in Nutrition journal, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 70 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Therapeutic Impact of Plant-Based and Nutritional Supplements on Anxiety, Depressive Symptoms and Sleep Quality among Adults and Elderly: A Systematic Review of the Literature.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Omega-3 fatty acids for depression in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effects of Omega 3 Fatty Acids on Main Dimensions of Psychopathology.International journal of molecular sciences · 2020Pooled it
- Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: What is Their Role in Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders?International journal of molecular sciences · 2019Pooled it
- Efficacy of omega-3 PUFAs in depression: A meta-analysis.Translational psychiatry · 2019Pooled it
- The Role of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) on Cognitive Functions in Psychiatric Disorders.Nutrients · 2019Pooled it
- Effects of omega-3 fatty acids on patients undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal malignancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC cancer · 2017Pooled it
- Meta-analysis and meta-regression of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation for major depressive disorder.Translational psychiatry · 2016Pooled it
- Omega-3 fatty acids for depression in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2015Pooled it
- Role of omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of depressive disorders: a comprehensive meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.PloS one · 2014Pooled it
- Aerobic Physical Activity and a Low Glycemic Diet Reduce the AA/EPA Ratio in Red Blood Cell Membranes of Patients with NAFLD.Nutrients · 2018Trial
- The effect of omega-3 fatty acids on depressive symptoms and inflammatory markers in maintenance hemodialysis patients: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2014Trial
- Impact of EPA ingestion on COX- and LOX-mediated eicosanoid synthesis in skin with and without a pro-inflammatory UVR challenge--report of a randomised controlled study in humans.Molecular nutrition & food research · 2014Trial
- Omega-3 fatty acids in mental disorders: from neurobiological and metabolic mechanisms to therapeutic potential.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- A scoping review of over-the-counter products for depression, anxiety and insomnia in older people.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Article
- Anti-Inflammatory Treatment Efficacy in Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2023Review
- Current Perspectives on Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Interventions for the Inflammatory Mechanism of Unipolar Depression.Brain sciences · 2022Review
- Circulating Omega-6 and Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Painful Temporomandibular Disorder and Low Back Pain.The journal of pain · 2022Article
- Dietary Supplementations and Depression.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDepression is one of the most frequently missed diagnoses in elderly people, with obvious negative effects on quality of life. Various studies have shown that long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) may be useful in its management. Our objective was to evaluate whether a supplement containing n-3 PUFA improves depressive symptoms in depressed elderly patients, and whether the blood fatty acid pattern is correlated with these changes.
methodsThe severity of depressive symptoms according to the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), blood fatty acid composition and erythrocyte phospholipids were analyzed in 46 depressed females aged 66-95y, diagnosed with depression according to DSMIV, within the context of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. 22 depressed females were included in the intervention group (2.5 g/day of n-3 PUFA for 8 weeks), and 24 in the placebo group. We also measured immunological parameters (CD2, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16, CD19 and cytokines (IL-5, IL-15).
resultsThe mean GDS score and AA/EPA ratio, in whole blood and RBC membrane phospholipids, were significantly lower after 2 months supplementation with n-3 PUFA. A significant correlation between the amelioration of GDS and the AA/EPA ratio with some immunological parameters, such as CD2, CD19, CD4, CD16 and the ratio CD4/CD8, was also found. Nevertheless, omega-3 supplementation did not significantly improve the studied immunological functions.
conclusionsn-3 PUFA supplementation ameliorates symptoms in elderly depression. The n-3 PUFA status may be monitored by means of the determination of whole blood AA/EPA ratio.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.