Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25012420›Full record

ArticleJournal of affective disorders2014

Perinatal depression and omega-3 fatty acids: a Mendelian randomisation study.

Hannah Sallis, Colin Steer, Lavinia Paternoster, George Davey Smith, Jonathan Evans

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of affective disorders, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
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  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. DHA supplementation and pregnancy complications.Journal of translational medicine · 2023
    Review
  8. Article
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  15. Observational
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Hannah SallisMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Barley House Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK; Centre for Academic Mental Health, School of Social and Community Medicine University of Bristol, Barley House Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK. Electronic address: Hannah.Sallis@bristol.ac.uk.
Colin SteerCentre for Child and Adolescent Health, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Barley House Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK.
Lavinia PaternosterMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Barley House Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK.
George Davey SmithMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Barley House Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK.
Jonathan EvansCentre for Academic Mental Health, School of Social and Community Medicine University of Bristol, Barley House Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK.

Funding

Medical Research Council G9815508Medical Research Council MC_PC_15018Medical Research Council MC_UU_12013/1Medical Research Council MR/J012165/1Wellcome Trust 092731Wellcome Trust 102215Wellcome Trust WT099871MA
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere have been numerous studies investigating the association between omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) and depression, with mixed findings. We propose an approach which is largely free from issues such as confounding or reverse causality, to investigate this relationship using observational data from a pregnancy cohort.

methodsThe Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort collected information on FA levels from antenatal blood samples and depressive symptoms at several time points during pregnancy and the postnatal period. Conventional epidemiological analyses were used in addition to a Mendelian randomisation (MR) approach to investigate the association between levels of two omega-3 FAs (docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)) and perinatal onset depression, antenatal depression (AND) and postnatal depression (PND).

resultsWeak evidence of a positive association with both EPA (OR=1.07; 95% CI: 0.99-1.15) and DHA (OR=1.08; 95% CI: 0.98-1.19) with perinatal onset depression was found using a multivariable logistic regression adjusting for social class and maternal age. However, the strength of association was found to attenuate when using an MR analysis to investigate DHA. LIMITATIONS: Pleiotropy is a potential limitation in MR analyses; we assume that the genetic variants included in the instrumental variable are associated only with our trait of interest (FAs) and thus cannot influence the outcome via any other pathway.

conclusionsWe found weak evidence of a positive association between omega-3 FAs and perinatal onset depression. However, without confirmation from the MR analysis, we are unable to draw conclusions regarding causality.

Indexed as

AdultAllelesCase-Control StudiesDepression, PostpartumDepressive DisorderDocosahexaenoic AcidsEicosapentaenoic AcidFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMendelian Randomization AnalysisPregnancyPregnancy ComplicationsProspective StudiesRiskDocosahexaenoic AcidsEicosapentaenoic AcidALSPACDepressionMendelian randomisationOmega-3Perinatal

Identifiers

PMID25012420
PMCPMC4101243

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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.