Studies have previously indicated a correlation between high consumption of omega-3 fatty acid-containing fish oils and low levels of major depressive disorder and bipolar affective disorder.

Dr Boris Nemets and colleagues from Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva investigated the effects of E-EPA as an adjunct to pharmacological medication in 20 individuals (17 women) with clinical diagnosed unipolar depressive disorder. All participants had been receiving medication for at least three months beforehand.

Participants were randomized to receive either 1g capsules containing 96 per cent fish-oil-derived E-EPA or placebo twice daily for four weeks. The Hamilton depression scale was used to assess depression levels at baseline and then at weekly intervals during the study period.

The researchers found significant reductions in the Hamilton depression scale score after two weeks. By the end of the study period, patients in the active agent group exhibited a 12.4-point reduction in score compared to 1.6 points in the placebo group.

Dr Nemets and colleagues suggest that the low rate of response to standard therapy in the placebo group suggests resistance to treatment. They add that E-EPA may either enhance the effects of the standard medication, possibly through an effect on second messenger systems, or may have individual antidepressant qualities.

Further research is likely to shed more light on these possibilities, they add.

Reference: Nemets et al, American Journal of Psychiatry 2002;159:477-479
© Health Media Ltd 2002
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