ReviewOxidative medicine and cellular longevity2014
Omega-3 fatty acids and depression: scientific evidence and biological mechanisms.
Review in Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 140 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
140 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 339 citations in OpenAlex.
- Anti-inflammatory diets and mental health: a scoping review of randomized controlled trials and systematic evidence syntheses.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- The efficacy and safety of complementary and alternative medicine for depression: an umbrella review.Revista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999) · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effects of Fish-Oil Consumption on Psychological Function Outcomes in Psychosis: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Metabolomics Profile in Depression: A Pooled Analysis of 230 Metabolic Markers in 5283 Cases With Depression and 10,145 Controls.Biological psychiatry · 2020Pooled it
- Biomolecular Composition and Revenue Explained by Interactions between Extrinsic Factors and Endogenous Rhythms ofMarine drugs · 2019Pooled 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
- From plate to pillow, and vice versa: diet-sleep dynamics in free-living adults with obesity.European journal of nutrition · 2026Trial
- EPA and DHA as markers of nutraceutical treatment response in major depressive disorder.European journal of nutrition · 2020Trial
- Exploring the association between whole blood Omega-3 Index, DHA, EPA, DHA, AA and n-6 DPA, and depression and self-esteem in adolescents of lower general secondary education.European journal of nutrition · 2019Trial
- The impact of maternal diet fortification with lipid-based nutrient supplements on postpartum depression in rural Malawi: a randomised-controlled trial.Maternal & child nutrition · 2017Trial
- Effects of Walnut Consumption on Mood in Young Adults-A Randomized Controlled Trial.Nutrients · 2016Trial
- Dynamic interactions between gut microbiome and host lipidome in antenatal depression: a large longitudinal study.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- From Plate to Mind: Scientific Perspectives on Foods That May Influence Anxiety and Depression.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Associations of six dietary patterns with all-cause and cause-specific mortality among individuals with depression in the UK biobank: a prospective cohort study.European journal of nutrition · 2026Article
- Association of dietary long-chainThe British journal of nutrition · 2026Article
- Peripartum Depression as a Heart-Brain-Endocrine-Immune Syndrome: Neuroendocrine, Cardiovascular, and Inflammatory Pathways Underlying Maternal Vulnerability.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Lipid metabolism dysregulation in late-life depression: peripheral metabolic disturbance, central lipid alterations, and dietary modulation.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
80 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The changing of omega-6/omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the food supply of Western societies occurred over the last 150 years is thought to promote the pathogenesis of many inflammatory-related diseases, including depressive disorders. Several epidemiological studies reported a significant inverse correlation between intake of oily fish and depression or bipolar disorders. Studies conducted specifically on the association between omega-3 intake and depression reported contrasting results, suggesting that the preventive role of omega-3 PUFA may depend also on other factors, such as overall diet quality and the social environment. Accordingly, tertiary prevention with omega-3 PUFA supplement in depressed patients has reached greater effectiveness during the last recent years, although definitive statements on their use in depression therapy cannot be yet freely asserted. Among the biological properties of omega-3 PUFA, their anti-inflammatory effects and their important role on the structural changing of the brain should be taken into account to better understand the possible pathway through which they can be effective both in preventing or treating depression. However, the problem of how to correct the inadequate supply of omega-3 PUFA in the Westernized countries' diet is a priority in order to set food and health policies and also dietary recommendations for individuals and population groups.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.