Omega-3 Offers No Benefit for Depressed Heart Patients

Researchers have found that use of omega-3 fatty acid supplement along with antidepressant therapy doesn't improve depression in heart patients.

The new study counters previous findings that augmentation with omega-3 fatty acids improves the efficacy of antidepressants in depressed psychiatric patients.

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During the study, lead researcher Dr Robert M. Carney, of Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis and his team conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial to examine whether omega-3 improves the efficacy of the antidepression medication sertraline for patients with CHD and major depression.

The study included 122 patients, who received 50 mg/day of sertraline and were randomized to receive 2 g/day of omega-3 acid ethyl esters (eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]) or placebo capsules for 10 weeks.

The researchers found no significant differences between the two groups.

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It showed that depressive symptoms improved over time at comparable rates. The placebo and omega-3 groups did not differ at 10 weeks in regard to measurements of depression or anxiety.

"Whether higher doses of EPA, DHA, or sertraline, a longer duration of treatment, or the use of omega-3 as monotherapy can improve depression in patients with stable heart disease remains to be determined," said the authors.

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The study appears in Journal of American Medical Association.

Source-ANI
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