December 15/Chicago/Women's Health Weekly -- A new analysis of the effects of omega-3 essential fatty acids offers the hope of enhanced treatment options for tens of millions of people with depression. Two critical omega-3 essential fatty acids available from certain food or nutritional supplements but not manufactured by the body -- eicosapentenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) -- play a role in optimal brain functioning and have antidepressant benefits that have not been fully recognized. The results were presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.
In a meta-analysis of 15 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago, led by John M. Davis, M.D., research professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and ACNP member, found that patients taking omega-3 with either EPA or a combination of EPA and DHA experienced clear antidepressant benefits. However, across studies, patients taking the pure DHA form of omega-3 saw no antidepressant effect.