[Omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of affective disorders: an overview of the literature].
BACKGROUND
More and more interest is being shown in fish oil because it contains omega-3 fatty acids which may have beneficial effects in a wide range of somatic and psychiatric disorders.


OBJECTIVE
To search the literature for evidence of the effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acids in affective disorders.


METHODS
We studied the literature with the help of Pubmed (1966-March 2006) using the keywords 'depression', 'affective disorder', 'bipolar disorder', 'seasonal affective disorder', 'postpartum depression', 'puerperal depression', 'fatty acids', 'eicosapentaenoic acid', 'arachidonic acid', 'docosahexaenoic acid' and 'fish oil'. We obtained additional information from the bibliographic references attached to the articles concerned.


RESULTS
Epidemiological studies and studies on fatty acid concentrations suggest a link between omega-3 fatty acids and affective disorders, although some of the results are contradictory. Some clinical investigations found that treatment with omega-3 fatty acids did have a positive effect, but the number of test subjects was very limited and some investigations even produced negative results.


CONCLUSIONS
There is insufficient clinical evidence to prove conclusively that treatment with omega-3 fatty acids has a beneficial effect on affective disorders.
van Strater
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AC
GGZ Duin- en Bollenstreek, Voorhout. a.vanstrater@ggzduinenbollenstreek.nl
Bouvy
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PF
D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000178:diet therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005395:Fish Oils