Plasma eicosapentaenoic acid is inversely associated with severity of depressive symptomatology in the elderly: data from the Bordeaux sample of the Three-City Study.
BACKGROUND
Depressive symptoms are commonly observed in elderly people, and nutritional factors such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been proposed as potential protective determinants of depressive disorders.


OBJECTIVE
The objective was to analyze the relation between plasma fatty acids and severity of depressive symptomatology (DS) in French elderly community dwellers.


METHODS
The study population (mean age: 74.6 y) consisted of 1390 subjects from Bordeaux (France) included in the Three-City Study cohort. DS was evaluated by using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. The use of antidepressant drugs was recorded. The proportion of each plasma fatty acid was determined. Cross-sectional analysis of the association between plasma fatty acids and severity of DS was performed by multilinear regression.


RESULTS
Compared with control subjects, subjects with DS were older, were more often women, were more often widowed or single, were of lower income, were receiving antidepressant treatment more frequently, had a lower incidence of hypercholesterolemia, and had lower Mini-Mental State Examination scores (mean: -1.1 point; P < 0.0001). Plasma eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was lower in the subjects with DS than in the control subjects (0.85% compared with 1.01%; P = 0.001). There were no significant differences in any other fatty acid. When adjusted for potential confounders, such as sociodemographic characteristics and health indicators, plasma EPA was inversely associated with the severity of DS (beta = -0.170, P = 0.040) in subjects taking antidepressants.


CONCLUSIONS
Higher plasma EPA was associated with a lower severity of DS in elderly subjects, especially those taking antidepressants.
Féart
Catherine
C
INSERM U593, Equipe Epidémiologie de la Nutrition et des Comportements Alimentaires, Bordeaux, France. catherine.feart@isped.u-bordeaux2.fr
Peuchant
Evelyne
E
Letenneur
Luc
L
Samieri
Cécilia
C
Montagnier
Delphine
D
Fourrier-Reglat
Annie
A
Barberger-Gateau
Pascale
P
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology*; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid