title: Acceptability and tolerability of omega-3 fatty acids as adjunctive treatment for children and adolescents with eating disorders.
abstract: The objective of this study was to examine the acceptability and tolerability of omega-3 fatty acids as an adjunctive treatment for children and adolescents with eating disorders (EDs). Children and adolescents with EDs received omega-3 supplements (300 mg eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and 200 mg docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]/day) in addition to standard treatment for 8 weeks. Primary outcomes were dropout rate, compliance, and side effects. Secondary outcomes included percent ideal body weight, Eating Disorders Inventory-3 (EDI-3), Children's Depression Inventory-2 (CDI-2), and Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC). There were 21 participants with mean age of 15.29 ± 2.0 years. There were no dropouts. Omega-3 was well tolerated by all participants. Compared to baseline, at week 8 there was a significant increase in mean percent ideal body weight but no significant difference in scores on the EDI-3, CDI-2, and MASC. We conclude that omega-3 supplements are acceptable and well tolerated in the pediatric ED population.
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Health Sciences , McMaster University , Hamilton , Ontario , Canada.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.affiliation: b Pediatric Eating Disorders Program , McMaster Children's Hospital , Hamilton , Ontario , Canada.|c Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences , McMaster University , Hamilton , Ontario , Canada.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Couturier
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Health Sciences , McMaster University , Hamilton , Ontario , Canada.
authors.forename: Bharadwaj
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pindiprolu
authors.affiliation: b Pediatric Eating Disorders Program , McMaster Children's Hospital , Hamilton , Ontario , Canada.
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Picard
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Health Sciences , McMaster University , Hamilton , Ontario , Canada.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maertens
authors.affiliation: b Pediatric Eating Disorders Program , McMaster Children's Hospital , Hamilton , Ontario , Canada.
authors.forename: Anick
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leclerc
authors.affiliation: b Pediatric Eating Disorders Program , McMaster Children's Hospital , Hamilton , Ontario , Canada.|d Department of Pediatrics , McMaster University , Hamilton , Ontario , Canada.
authors.forename: Sheri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Findlay
authors.affiliation: b Pediatric Eating Disorders Program , McMaster Children's Hospital , Hamilton , Ontario , Canada.|d Department of Pediatrics , McMaster University , Hamilton , Ontario , Canada.
authors.forename: Natasha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: b Pediatric Eating Disorders Program , McMaster Children's Hospital , Hamilton , Ontario , Canada.|d Department of Pediatrics , McMaster University , Hamilton , Ontario , Canada.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences , McMaster University , Hamilton , Ontario , Canada.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kimber
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3