MedWire News: People with bipolar disorder may benefit from taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements in addition to their prescribed medications to reduce the frequency and severity of their mood symptoms, say US researchers.
Dr Teresa Turnbull and colleagues from the Columbia University School of Nursing in New York explain that laboratory studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids may have a similar effect on cell signalling in the brain to commonly used mood-stabilising medications.
However, they say that although many studies have assessed the effects of omega-3 supplementation in patients with depression, fewer have focused on patients with bipolar disorder.
"The question that researchers of omega-3 and bipolar disease are asking is whether supplementation with omega-3 can support the effect of prescription mood stabilisers in symptom reduction, which may, in turn, reduce dosing requirements [and] untoward side effects," comment Dr Turnbull and colleagues.
To investigate, the team assessed the results of seven studies involving 230 bipolar disorder patients who were given omega-3 fatty acid supplements for between 4 and 52 weeks.
Most participants continued with their usual treatment, which included mood-stabilising medications and ‘talk’ therapies.
Analysis revealed that, in four of the seven studies, patients who received omega-3 supplements experienced significantly greater reductions in the frequency and severity of mania and/or depression symptoms than those who did not receive such supplements.
Of note, patients who received a combination of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexanoic acid – the most nutritionally important omega-3 fatty acids – experienced greater improvements in symptoms than those who received either one of these components alone.
Writing in the Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, Dr Turnbull and team conclude: "Due to its benign side effect profile and some evidence supporting its usefulness in bipolar illness, omega-3 may be a helpful adjunct [addition] in the treatment of selected patients."
They add: “Future studies are needed to conclusively confirm the efficacy of omega-3 in bipolar disorder.”