Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids as an alternative to addictive anxiolytics:
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/902306
www.medscape.com
PUFAs for Anxiety: The Evidence to Date
Pauline Anderson
September 21, 2018
Treatment with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may decrease symptoms of anxiety in patients with a range of conditions, including borderline personality disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), new research suggests.
Dr Kuan-Pin Su
In a systematic review and meta-analysis, both placebo-controlled and non-placebo-controlled trials showed that omega-3 had at least some effect on patients with anxiety.
This treatment may provide a safer option than "highly addictive" anxiolytics in some patients, lead author Kuan-Pin Su, MD, PhD, vice dean and professor, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, told Medscape Medical News.
"For patients who are not responsive to traditional anxiety treatment, such as antidepressants or psychotherapies, omega-3 PUFAs might be a promising alternative and adjunctive treatment with a great safety profile," Su said.
But because the effect size uncovered by the new analysis is small to moderate, it's too early to recommend omega-3 PUFAs as the first-line treatment for anxiety, he added. "We need more well-conducted clinical trials to reach that kind of consensus."
The findings were published online September 14 in JAMA Network Open.
Systematic Literature Search
Anxiety presents in a wide range of psychological and physical illnesses. Anxiolytics are used to treat a number of such illnesses, but since they're the "most abused" of psychotropic drugs and are very addictive, omega-3 might provide a safe alternative, said Su.
PUFAs such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are essential nutrients. Research has shown that they may have preventive and therapeutic effects in patients with psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression and can help relieve comorbid depression and anxiety in patients with physical illnesses.
The investigators carried out a systematic literature search for randomized or nonrandomized studies that assessed the effect of omega-3 PUFAs on anxiety symptoms in humans. The inclusion criteria were "as broad as possible to avoid missing any potentially eligible studies," the authors write.
The analysis included 19 studies carried out in 11 countries; 16 of the studies had a placebo comparator. In the 19 studies, 1203 participants were treated with omega-3 PUFAs (mean age, 43.7 years; mean omega-3 PUFA dose, 1605.7 mg/day), and 1037 did not take omega-3 PUFA (mean age, 40.6 years).
In all studies, about 55% of the participants were women.
The studies used a number of different scales to evaluate anxiety symptoms, including the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and the anxiety subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
The psychiatric and physical health conditions of study participants varied widely. For example, in addition to a study that included patients with OCD and another that included those with personality disorders, other studies included only children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder or patients with Alzheimer's disease or Tourette's syndrome.
The primary outcome in the current analysis was change in anxiety symptoms in patients who received omega-3 PUFA supplements compared with those who did not receive such treatment. Dietary omega-3 was not considered.
Owing to the expected heterogeneity, researchers chose to conduct a random-effects rather than a fixed-effects meta-analysis. They point out that random-effects modeling is more stringent and incorporates an among-study variance in the calculations. They used Hedges g and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to combine the effect sizes of the studies.
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/902306
www.medscape.com
PUFAs for Anxiety: The Evidence to Date
Pauline Anderson
September 21, 2018
Treatment with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may decrease symptoms of anxiety in patients with a range of conditions, including borderline personality disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), new research suggests.
Dr Kuan-Pin Su
In a systematic review and meta-analysis, both placebo-controlled and non-placebo-controlled trials showed that omega-3 had at least some effect on patients with anxiety.
This treatment may provide a safer option than "highly addictive" anxiolytics in some patients, lead author Kuan-Pin Su, MD, PhD, vice dean and professor, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, told Medscape Medical News.
"For patients who are not responsive to traditional anxiety treatment, such as antidepressants or psychotherapies, omega-3 PUFAs might be a promising alternative and adjunctive treatment with a great safety profile," Su said.
But because the effect size uncovered by the new analysis is small to moderate, it's too early to recommend omega-3 PUFAs as the first-line treatment for anxiety, he added. "We need more well-conducted clinical trials to reach that kind of consensus."
The findings were published online September 14 in JAMA Network Open.
Systematic Literature Search
Anxiety presents in a wide range of psychological and physical illnesses. Anxiolytics are used to treat a number of such illnesses, but since they're the "most abused" of psychotropic drugs and are very addictive, omega-3 might provide a safe alternative, said Su.
PUFAs such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are essential nutrients. Research has shown that they may have preventive and therapeutic effects in patients with psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression and can help relieve comorbid depression and anxiety in patients with physical illnesses.
The investigators carried out a systematic literature search for randomized or nonrandomized studies that assessed the effect of omega-3 PUFAs on anxiety symptoms in humans. The inclusion criteria were "as broad as possible to avoid missing any potentially eligible studies," the authors write.
The analysis included 19 studies carried out in 11 countries; 16 of the studies had a placebo comparator. In the 19 studies, 1203 participants were treated with omega-3 PUFAs (mean age, 43.7 years; mean omega-3 PUFA dose, 1605.7 mg/day), and 1037 did not take omega-3 PUFA (mean age, 40.6 years).
In all studies, about 55% of the participants were women.
The studies used a number of different scales to evaluate anxiety symptoms, including the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and the anxiety subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
The psychiatric and physical health conditions of study participants varied widely. For example, in addition to a study that included patients with OCD and another that included those with personality disorders, other studies included only children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder or patients with Alzheimer's disease or Tourette's syndrome.
The primary outcome in the current analysis was change in anxiety symptoms in patients who received omega-3 PUFA supplements compared with those who did not receive such treatment. Dietary omega-3 was not considered.
Owing to the expected heterogeneity, researchers chose to conduct a random-effects rather than a fixed-effects meta-analysis. They point out that random-effects modeling is more stringent and incorporates an among-study variance in the calculations. They used Hedges g and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to combine the effect sizes of the studies.
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