ArticleThe Journal of clinical psychiatry2016
Baseline blood levels of omega-3 and depression remission: a secondary analysis of data from a placebo-controlled trial of omega-3 supplements.
Article in The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT00116857 (Omega-3 for Depression and Other Cardiac Risk Factors), which is not on this map. Cited by 20 papers, 7 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.
Omega-3 for Depression and Other Cardiac Risk Factors
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 40 citations in OpenAlex.
- Nutraceuticals and phytoceuticals for the treatment of major depressive disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- The effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake on blood levels of omega-3s in people with chronic atherosclerotic disease: a systematic review.Nutrition reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Psychological and pharmacological interventions for depression in patients with coronary artery disease.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Omega-3 fatty acids for depression in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled 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
- EPA and DHA as markers of nutraceutical treatment response in major depressive disorder.European journal of nutrition · 2020Trial
- Effects of Fish Oil Monotherapy on Depression and Prefrontal Neurochemistry in Adolescents at High Risk for Bipolar I Disorder: A 12-Week Placebo-Controlled Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Trial.Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology · 2020Trial
- Association of dietary long-chainThe British journal of nutrition · 2026Article
- Biopsychosocial Determinants, Diet Quality, Gastrointestinal Health, and Disease Activity in Adults With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Prophylactic effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids monotherapy in preventing recurrent major depressive disorder: A randomized controlled trial.BioMedicine · 2025Article
- Omega-3 supplements in the prevention and treatment of youth depression and anxiety symptoms: A scoping review.PloS one · 2023Article
- Omega-3 fatty acids in bipolar patients with a low omega-3 index and reduced heart rate variability: the "BIPO-3" trial.International journal of bipolar disorders · 2022Article
- Review
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids as a Treatment for Pediatric Depression. A Phase III, 36 Weeks, Multi-Center, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Randomized Superiority Study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2019Article
- Food for Mood: Relevance of Nutritional Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Depression and Anxiety.Frontiers in physiology · 2018Review
- Discrepancy between Knowledge and Perceptions of Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake Compared with the Omega-3 Index.Nutrients · 2017Article
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids and recurrent mood disorders: Phenomenology, mechanisms, and clinical application.Progress in lipid research · 2017Review
- Lipid correlates of antidepressant response to omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation: A pilot study.Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveDepression is associated with low red blood cell (RBC) levels of 2 omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), suggesting that omega-3 supplements might improve depression. However, clinical trials have produced mixed results. The purpose of this secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial was to determine whether baseline blood levels of omega-3, which are known to vary widely among individuals, predict depression outcomes.
methodThe percentages of EPA, DHA, and the omega-6 arachidonic acid (AA) were measured in RBCs at baseline and posttreatment in 122 participants with DSM-IV major depression who were randomly assigned between May 2005 and December 2008 to receive either 50 mg/d of sertraline and a daily dosage of 930 mg EPA/750 mg DHA or sertraline plus placebo. Associations between baseline omega-3 RBC levels and remission of depression (17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score ≤ 7) were analyzed by treatment arm.
resultsAmong participants in the omega-3 arm, baseline RBC levels of EPA + DHA (P = .002) and the EPA + DHA:AA ratio (P = .003) were significantly higher among those whose depression subsequently remitted compared with those whose depression did not remit. No associations were detected in the sertraline plus placebo arm. Baseline levels of EPA (P = .03) and the EPA + DHA:AA ratio (P = .04) moderated the relationship between treatment arm and depression outcomes.
conclusionsHigh baseline RBC levels of EPA and DHA and a high EPA + DHA:AA ratio predict favorable depression outcomes in patients receiving omega-3 supplements. Omega-3 supplementation may be an effective treatment for depression, but the requisite dosage and duration of treatment may depend on the patient's baseline level of omega-3 fatty acids.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00116857.
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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.