Can fish oil emulsion rich in omega-3 fatty acids influence symptoms of depressive disorder and antioxidant status in children?

Background Omega-3 fatty acids (FA) have emerged as a adjuvant therapy for depressive disorder. The primary objective of this pilot, single-centre, randomized, double-blind and active-controlled study was to compare the efficacy of omega-3 FA fish oil with omega-6 FA sunflower oil emulsions during standard treatment of depressive symptoms in children and to investigate the antioxidant status of depressive children. Methods 36 children aged 11 to 17 years were randomised to the intervention groups. Childrenu0027s Depression Inventory (CDI) ratings were performed at baseline, at 2 weeks interval during 12 weeks intervention period and at 4 weeks post-intervention. 34 patients completed at least 8 weeks of intervention. Antioxidant status was determined spectrophotometrically as TEAC. Results Significant reduction in CDI mean scores were observed after 6, 8 and 10 weeks in the omega-3 FA fish oil emulsion group, but not in the omega-6 FA sunflower oil emulsion group, when compared to baseline values. After the diagnosis stratification to Depressive Episode (DE) and Mixed Anxiety Depressive Disorder (MADD) subgroups, the DE subgroup omega-3 FA showed a greater improvement when compared to the whole group (DE plus MADD). No difference in TEAC values between patients and controls was seen.