An open-label study involving Chinese adolescents with depression compared the effects of treating depressive symptoms using the antidepressant Paxil alone to those of a combination of Paxil and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplements. The results indicated that the group receiving omega-3 supplements exhibited more significant improvements in depressive symptoms, cognitive function, and memory than the group treated solely with Paxil. The study was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
Omega-3 short-chain fatty acids are a subgroup of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids that offer several health benefits. They are known for their anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce the risk of chronic inflammatory conditions such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and certain autoimmune disorders. The most common omega-3 short-chain fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid, may play a role in maintaining heart health by lowering blood pressure, reducing triglycerides, and improving cholesterol profiles.
Omega-3 short chain fatty acids are associated with improved cognitive function and may help support brain health, potentially reducing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. While the human body can convert alpha-linolenic acid into other short-chain fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), alpha-linolenic acid itself is an essential nutrient. This means that the body cannot produce it and needs to obtain it through diet.
Recent studies have shown that EPA and DHA might help improve symptoms of depression. There is reason to believe that these short-chain fatty acids affect systems in the brain that are responsible for the development of depression. Also, studies indicate that patients with depression have reduced levels of omega-3 acids in their cell membranes. This reduction is more pronounced in individuals with more severe depression symptoms.
With this in mind, study author Shuhui Li and his colleagues set out to examine whether adding omega-3 short-chain fatty acids (as supplements) to a regular treatment for depression might improve the effectiveness of the treatment. They conducted an open-label study on a group of 71 adolescents diagnosed with depression who were taking Paxil as their primary antidepressant medication.
Paxil is a brand name for the antidepressant drug paroxetine. It is classified as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and is commonly prescribed to treat depression, but also generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and certain other mental health disorders. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, including paroxetine, are a class of psychiatric medications that work by increasing the levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, in the brain to help alleviate symptoms of mental health disorders.
Study participants were recruited at the Fourth People’s Hospital of Wuhu, Wuhu city, Anhui province, in China between November 2020 and January 2022. They were randomly assigned to either a group that would take Paxil alone or an omega-3 supplement derived from fish oil in addition to Paxil. These treatments lasted for 12 weeks. Study authors conducted follow-up assessments every 4 weeks.
The dose of Paxil was 20 mg per day. The dose of omega-3 supplement was 3 capsules per day (2700mg). Of these, 1941 mg was eicosapentaenoic acid, while 759 mg were docosahexaenoic acid. The dose was created in line with the guidelines of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research for omega-3 supplementation in the treatment of depression.
During the study, the researchers tracked the severity of participants’ depressive symptoms (the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale), cognitive function (the Montreal Cognitive Assessment), and memory (the Wechsler Memory Scale).
Results showed that depressive symptoms improved in both groups in each follow-up visit compared to the start of the study. However, the improvement was much stronger in the group that was taking omega-3 supplements compared to the group that was taking Paxil alone. The complete withdrawal of depressive symptoms (remission) was more frequent in the group taking omega-3 supplements. Cognitive function and memory also improved in both groups, but the omega-3 supplement group showed stronger improvement.
“This study revealed that omega-3 supplementation alleviated depressive symptoms in adolescents with mild to moderate depression, broadening our understanding of omega-3 supplementation as an adjuvant treatment for depression in adolescents. In addition, the current study provided novel evidence that omega-3 supplementation improved cognitive function and memory,” study authors concluded.
The study makes an important contribution to the scientific understanding of the effects of omega-3 short chain fatty acids intake on symptoms of depression. However, it should be noted that this was an open-label study. This means that participants knew which treatment they were undergoing. This could have produced bias. A study using a placebo group might not produce equal results.
The paper, “Omega-3 supplementation improves depressive symptoms, cognitive e function and niacin skin flushing response in adolescent depression: A randomized controlled clinical trial”, was authored by Shuhui Li, Rulan Li, Xiaowen Hu, Yue Zhang, Dandan Wang, Yan Gao, Jinfeng Wang, Qian Wang, Chuanfu Song, Shucai Huang, En Zhang, Juan Zhang, Zhong Xia, and Chunling Wan.
