Depression affects millions of Americans, some of whom have difficulty finding a treatment option that works. In the last five years several studies on complementary and alternative treatments have concluded that omega 3 fatty acids from fish oils may be effective treatment options for certain classifications of depression.
But a recent review published in the December issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition did not find significant efficacy when pooling the results of all 12 studies.
Researchers in Britain combined information from 12 recent clinical trials that investigated the power of fish oils rich in omega 3 fatty acids to reduce the symptoms of depression and other depressive disorders.
There was a great degree of variety in the studies pooled into the review. Some studies measured effects in participants with major depression while others looked at the effects fish oils had on bipolar disorder. Most of the studies were small and short term.
It is these reasons and a few others that the authors site as a potenial reason the review was somewhat inconclusive. The authors did not disregard any effect that omega 3 fatty acids may have on depression, but could not definatively say they are effective across the board in a large population.
Omega 3 fatty acids are believed to help ease the symptoms of depression via modulation of the neurotransmitters in the brain, namely serotonin.
The reviewers call for a large scale clinical trial to measure the effect of fish oils as a treatment for depression and depressive disorders such as bipolar disorder.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on January 22, 2007 04:05 PM
