Effects of n-3 fatty acids, EPA v. DHA, on depressive symptoms, quality of life, memory and executive function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: a 6-month randomised controlled trial

Study answer

What this study found

The omega-3 interventions improved depressive symptoms, with both EPA-rich and DHA-rich fish oils reducing GDS scores versus linoleic acid control; the DHA group showed a significant time-by-treatment effect (Estimate 2 1.40, SE 0.53, t 2 2.62, P 0.01, 95% CI 2 2.47, 2 0.32), and improved GDS scores were correlated with increased DHA plus EPA (r 0.39, P 0.02). DHA also improved Initial Letter Fluency versus control (Estimate 4.16, SE 1.99, t 2.09, P 0.04, 95% CI 0.12, 8.21). There were no consistent treatment effects on other cognitive measures or overall quality of life, although Digits…

Study & population

Randomized controlled trial with treatment allocation by minimisation based on age, sex, and depressive symptoms.

Intervention

Participants were randomized to four capsules daily for 6 months of either DHA-rich fish oil providing 1.55 g DHA plus 0.40 g EPA per day or EPA-rich fish oil providing 1.67 g EPA plus 0.16 g DHA per day, compared with a linoleic acid control.

Key limitation

The trial was small, with only 6 months of follow-up and relatively few completers in each active arm.

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Original abstract