Cochrane · systematic review · CD004692

Omega‐3 fatty acids for depression in adults

Appleton, KM, Voyias, PD, Sallis, HM, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2021 · Cochrane Library

Common Mental Disorders2 versionsAMSTAR 2: not assessed
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
6
current version
GRADE rated
6
No studies
0
Included studies
NR
No studies 0 · 0%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 4 · 66.7%Low 2 · 33.3%Moderate 0 · 0%High 0 · 0%

Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.

Questions and results

Show all 2 versions

n3PUFAs compared to placebo for depression in adults

Population: Adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD)
6 questions
OutcomeEffectEvidenceStatus / GRADE
Depressive symptomology (continuous)HDRS where possible; higher scores indicate greater symptomology
n3PUFAs vs placebo
no estimate extracted33 studies · 1848 participantsVery low
Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness, publication bias
Adverse eventsStudy reports
n3PUFAs vs placebo
OR 1.27 [0.99, 1.64]24 studies · 1503 participantsVery low
Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness, publication bias
Depressive symptomology (dichotomous ‐ remission)Depressive symptomology rating scale as used by authors
n3PUFAs vs placebo
OR 1.13 [0.74, 1.72]8 studies · 609 participantsLow
Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness, publication bias
Depressive symptomology (dichotomous ‐ response)Depressive symptomology rating scale as used by authors
n3PUFAs vs placebo
OR 1.2 [0.8, 1.79]17 studies · 794 participantsLow
Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness, publication bias
Quality of lifeValidated quality of life scales as used by authors, CGI (7‐point scale) where possible, higher scores indicate poorer quality of life
n3PUFAs vs placebo
no estimate extracted12 studies · 476 participantsVery low
Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness, publication bias
Trial non‐completionStudy reports
n3PUFAs vs placebo
OR 0.92 [0.7, 1.22]29 studies · 1777 participantsVery low
Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness, publication bias