ST. LOUIS, Oct 23, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Depression in heart disease
patients did not seem to benefit from omega-3 treatment, U.S. researchers found.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found
the placebo and omega-3 groups showed no significant difference between the
groups in rates of remission or treatment response.
Previously, it had been found psychiatric patients diagnosed with depression but
otherwise medically well had low blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Increasing
the level of the omega-3 fatty acids was found to improve the efficacy of
antidepressants.
Study leader Robert Carney of Washington University School of Medicine and
colleagues conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 122
patients to examine whether omega-3 improves the efficacy of the anti-depression
medication sertraline for chronic heart disease patients with major depression.
The placebo and omega-3 groups did not differ at 10 weeks in regard to
measurements of depression or anxiety. There was no significant difference in
rates of remission or treatment response between the two groups, the study said.
"Whether higher doses of EPA, DHA, or sertraline, a longer duration of
treatment, or the use of omega-3 as monotherapy can improve depression in
patients with stable heart disease remains to be determined," the authors said
in a statement.
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International