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
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
Current version onlyn3PUFAs compared to placebo for depression in adults
Population: Adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD)
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Depressive symptomology (continuous)HDRS where possible; higher scores indicate greater symptomology n3PUFAs vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 33 studies · 1848 participants | Very 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 participants | Very 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 participants | Low 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 participants | Low 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 extracted | 12 studies · 476 participants | Very 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 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness, publication bias |
n‐3PUFAs compared to placebo for depression in adults
Population: adult patients with depression
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Depressive symptomology (continuous) HDRS where possible; higher scores indicate greater symptomology n‐3PUFAs vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 25 studies · 1373 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness, publication bias |
Adverse events Study reports n‐3PUFAs vs placebo | OR 1.24 [0.95, 1.62] | 19 studies · 1207 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness, publication bias |
Depressive symptomology (dichotomous ‐ remission) Depressive symptomology rating scale as used by authors n‐3PUFAs vs placebo | OR 1.38 [0.87, 2.2] | 6 studies · 426 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness, publication bias |
Depressive symptomology (dichotomous ‐ response) Depressive symptomology rating scale as used by authors n‐3PUFAs vs placebo | OR 1.39 [0.95, 2.04] | 15 studies · 611 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness, publication bias |
Quality of life Validated scales as used by authors, CGI where possible, higher scores indicate poorer quality of life n‐3PUFAs vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 9 studies · 383 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness, publication bias |
Failure to complete Study reports n‐3PUFAs vs placebo | OR 0.84 [0.62, 1.14] | 21 studies · 1344 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness, publication bias |