Association of Use of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids With Changes in Severity of Anxiety Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Su KP, Tseng PT, Lin PY, Okubo R, Chen TY, Chen YW, Matsuoka YJ
JAMA network open · 112 citations
How it was studied
- Design
- Meta-analysis (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
- Government
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
- Grants
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (17H04253)
Based on 1 listed funder(s).
Publication
- Published
- 2018-09-14 · JAMA Netw Open · vol. 1 · issue 5 · p. e182327
- Publisher
- American Medical Association
- Cited
- 159 citations · more than 98% of similar papers · 7.4× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 85 works
- Access
- Open access (journal) · CC-BY
- Research areas
- Fatty Acid Research and Health · Nutritional Studies and Diet · Seaweed-derived Bioactive Compounds
- Keywords
- Polyunsaturated fatty acid, Anxiety, Placebo, Meta-analysis, Medicine, Cochrane Library, Internal medicine, Randomized controlled trial, Subgroup analysis, Clinical trial, Psychiatry, Fatty acid, Chemistry, Alternative medicine
- MeSH
- humans, fatty acids, omega-3, treatment outcome, anxiety, dietary supplements, adult, female, male
7 authors
From TW, JP
- Kuan‐Pin Su · correspondingChina Medical University; China Medical University Hospital
- Ping‐Tao Tseng
- Pao‐Yen LinChang Gung University; Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
- Ryo OkuboNational Center for Global Health and Medicine
- Tien‐Yu ChenTri-Service General Hospital; National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University; National Yang Ming University Hospital; National Defense Medical Center
- Yen‐Wen Chen
Abstract
Importance
No systematic review or meta-analysis has assessed the efficacy of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) for anxiety.
Objective
To evaluate the association of anxiety symptoms with omega-3 PUFA treatment compared with controls in varied populations.
Data sources
PubMed, Embase, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, ClinicalKey, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched up to March 4, 2018.
Study selection
A search was performed of clinical trials assessing the anxiolytic effect of omega-3 PUFAs in humans, in either placebo-controlled or non-placebo-controlled designs. Of 104 selected articles, 19 entered the final data extraction stage.
Data extraction and measures
Two authors independently extracted the data according to a predetermined list of interests. A random-effects model meta-analysis was performed and this study was conducted based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines.
Main outcomes and measures
Changes in the severity of anxiety symptoms after omega-3 PUFA treatment.
Results
In total, 1203 participants with omega-3 PUFA treatment (mean age, 43.7 years; mean female proportion, 55.0%; mean omega-3 PUFA dosage, 1605.7 mg/d) and 1037 participants without omega-3 PUFA treatment (mean age, 40.6 years; mean female proportion, 55.0%) showed an association between clinical anxiety symptoms among participants with omega-3 PUFA treatment compared with control arms (Hedges g, 0.374; 95% CI, 0.081-0.666; P = .01). Subgroup analysis showed that the association of treatment with reduced anxiety symptoms was significantly greater in subgroups with specific clinical diagnoses than in subgroups without clinical conditions. The anxiolytic effect of omega-3 PUFAs was significantly better than that of controls only in subgroups with a higher dosage (at least 2000 mg/d) and not in subgroups with a lower dosage (<2000 mg/d).
Conclusions and relevance
This review indicates that omega-3 PUFAs might help to reduce the symptoms of clinical anxiety. Further well-designed studies are needed in populations in whom anxiety is the main symptom.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY).
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