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 Omega-3 may ease depression during pregnancy
Source: Reuters Health By Michelle Rizzo Date: 5/13/2009
For pregnant women diagnosed with major depressive disorder, treatment with omega-3 fatty acid supplements may reduce depressive symptoms, according to the findings of a small clinical trial.
"Perinatal
depression is common, and treatment remains challenging," Dr. Kuan-Pin
Su, of China Medical University Hospital, Taiwan, and colleagues
explain in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
When
a pregnant woman needs to be treated for major depression, "the
possible risks and benefits of antidepressant medication are considered
to have significant impacts on both mother and baby," Su commented to
Reuters Health. "Many women and their health care providers prefer the
use of non-medication treatments," Su added.
"Depression
has been reported to be associated with the abnormality of omega-3
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)," the team notes in their article.
They propose that the requirements of the growing baby lead to "a
profound decrease of omega-3 PUFAs in the mother during pregnancy," and
this might "precipitate the occurrence of depression."
To
see if omega-3 supplements would help, the researchers assigned 36
pregnant women with depression to take 3.4 grams of omega-3 PUFAs or an
inactive placebo daily for eight weeks.
No
antidepressants or other mood-altering drugs were given for one month
before the study began or during the study. A total of 24 women
completed the study -- 13 in the treatment group and 11 in the placebo
group.
Patients
given omega-3 PUFAs had significantly lower scores on a standardized
depression scale after 6 and 8 weeks compared with those who received
placebo. Furthermore, depression improved significantly in 62 percent
of the women in the omega-3 group compared with 27 percent of those in
the placebo group
The
omega-3 supplements were well tolerated. Adverse events related to
treatment included insomnia, nausea and diarrhea, but no pregnancy
complications were reported, and there were no adverse effects on the
newborns.
However,
Su cautioned that before omega-3 fatty acids can be considered as a
primary treatment for depression in pregnant women, the results need to
be replicated in larger studies. Furthermore, the researcher added, the
optimal dosage and type of omega-3 PUFAs "need to be determined for
this specific population."
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, April 2008.
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