WEDNESDAY, December 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) – They may have other proven health benefits, but new research shows fish oil supplements don’t prevent depression or improve mood.

Some experts recommend omega-3 fish oil supplements to help prevent depression in high-risk patients, but studies have shown mixed results and there are no guidelines on how to use it. fish oil for this purpose in the general population.

To find out more, the researchers studied more than 18,000 adults without depression, aged 50 and over, who took vitamin D and / or omega-3 supplements or placebos for an average of 5 to 7 years. .

Investigators found no evidence that omega-3 supplements ward off depression or improve mood, according to the Dec. 21 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“There are still health reasons for some people, under the direction of their health care providers, to take omega-3 fish oil supplements,” said lead author Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of medicine. medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston.

Manson noted that these supplements have been shown to be of increasing benefit for heart health and the treatment of inflammatory conditions, in addition to being used to manage existing depressive disorders in high-risk patients.

“However,” she added, “our results indicate that there is no reason for adults without depression in the general population to take fish oil supplements solely for the purpose of preventing depression. or maintain a positive mood. “

The study was the largest clinical trial of its kind and represents a “milestone”, according to lead author Dr Olivia Okereke. She is the Director of Geriatric Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

“It takes several thousand people to do this type of study of preventing depression in adults – what we call universal prevention – and participants were taking randomized study pills for an average of 5-7 years.” , Okereke said in a statement from MGH. Release. “So it’s rare to see a long-term randomized trial like this. “

The US National Institute of Mental Health has more information on depression.

SOURCE: Massachusetts General Hospital, press release, December 21, 2021