Trial reportThe Journal of clinical psychiatry2015
A double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial comparing eicosapentaenoic acid versus docosahexaenoic acid for depression.
Trial report in The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 42 papers, 10 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.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Treatment of Major Depression: Differential Effects of EPA and DHA, and Associated Biochemical and Immune Parameters
Omega-3 Fatty Acids for MDD With High Inflammation: A Personalized Approach
Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 74 citations in OpenAlex.
- Nutraceuticals in Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Pooled 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
- Association of Use of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids With Changes in Severity of Anxiety Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA network open · 2018Pooled it
- Meta-analysis and meta-regression of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation for major depressive disorder.Translational psychiatry · 2016Pooled it
- ω-3 Fatty acids for major depressive disorder in adults: an abridged Cochrane review.BMJ open · 2016Pooled it
- Omega-3 fatty acids for depression in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2015Pooled it
- The Efficacy of Omega-3 Fatty Acids as the Monotherapy for Depression: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study.Nutrients · 2024Trial
- Trial
- A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial of Omega-3 and Sertraline in Depressed Patients With or at Risk for Coronary Heart Disease.The Journal of clinical psychiatry · 2019Trial
- A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial of Omega-3 Fatty Acids as a Monotherapy for Adolescent Depression.The Journal of clinical psychiatry · 2018Trial
- Inflammation as a predictive biomarker for response to omega-3 fatty acids in major depressive disorder: a proof-of-concept study.Molecular psychiatry · 2016Trial
- Navigating Therapies, Challenges, and Recommendations for Treatment-Resistant Peripartum Depression: A Comprehensive Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The Effectiveness of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) and Omega-3 on Food Craving, Executive Functions, Weight, and Depressive Symptoms in Patients with Depression and Overweight: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Iranian journal of psychiatry · 2024Article
- The role of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the neurobiology of major depressive disorder and suicide risk.Molecular psychiatry · 2024Review
- Efficacy and acceptability of anti-inflammatory agents in major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Review
- Krill oil treatment ameliorates lipid metabolism imbalance in chronic unpredicted mild stress-induced depression-like behavior in mice.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2023Article
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
Abstract
objectiveTo compare 2 omega-3 (n-3) preparations enriched with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) versus docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as monotherapy for major depressive disorder (MDD) in a 2-site, placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind clinical trial.
method196 adults (53% female; mean [SD] age = 44.7 [13.4] years) with DSM-IV MDD and a baseline 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17) score ≥ 15 were randomized equally from May 18, 2006, to June 30, 2011, to 8 weeks of double-blind treatment with oral EPA-enriched n-3 1000 mg/d, DHA-enriched n-3 1,000 mg/d, or placebo.
results154 subjects completed the study. Modified intent-to-treat (mITT) analysis (n = 177 subjects with ≥ 1 postbaseline visit; 59.3% female, mean [SD] age 45.8 [12.5] years) employed mixed-model repeated measures (MMRM). All 3 groups demonstrated statistically significant improvement in the HDRS-17 (primary outcome measure), 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report (QIDS-SR-16), and Clinical Global Improvement-Severity Scale (CGI-S) (P < .05), but neither n-3 preparation separated from placebo (P > .05). Response and remission rates were in the range of 40%-50% and 30%, respectively, for all treatments, with no significant differences between groups. One subject receiving EPA-enriched n-3 discontinued due to worsening depression, and 1 subject receiving placebo discontinued due to an unspecified "negative reaction" to pills.
conclusionsNeither EPA-enriched nor DHA-enriched n-3 was superior to placebo for the treatment of MDD.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00517036.
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.