Fish Oil Supplements: Not

Effective in Fighting Depression

Lauren Rudolph and Sarah Davis

 What are Fish Oils?
● Oils found in the tissues of fish
● Fish is recommended as part of a healthy diet, as it provides omega-3 fatty
acids which have many health benefits
● Fish oil supplements supply these oils when adequate amounts of fish are not
eaten
● Main omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil:
○ Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
○ Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
Fish Oils and Depression
There is a lot of misinformation out there about the effectiveness
of diets on a person’s health. It is important to base your dietary
choices on real scientific evidence, not just what you might see
in the media. Today, we will be discussing the argument that
fish oil supplements do NOT have a significant effect on fighting
depression.
 Fish Oil Supplementation in
the Treatment of Major
Depression: A Randomised
Double-Blind Placebo-
Controlled Trial
Greyner et al., 2007

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Brin_Grenyer/publication/6178841_Fish_oil_supplementation_in_the_treatment_of_m
ajor_depression_A_randomised_double-blind_placebo-controlled_trial/links/5af4be59aca2720af9c58169/Fish-oil-
supplementation-in-the-treatment-of-major-depression-A-randomised-double-blind-placebo-controlled-trial.pdf
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to determine whether taking tuna fish oil confers any
additional benefit to conventional outpatient treatment for major depression.

Study Design
Randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled four-month experiment
Variables
Independent:
Dependent:
3 g dosage of tuna fish oil supplement
Effect on major depression using
Vs various assessments

Olive oil placebo

 Subjects
● Inclusion criteria: diagnosed with major depression, age 18-
75, no serious medical conditions or substance abuse
● 83 subjects: 40 taking fish oil supplement, 43 taking olive
oil supplement
● 51 female, 32 male
● 61 currently taking antidepressants
Measures
Compliance assessed using capsule counts

Diet history and food records assessed

Hamilton Depression Rating Score (HDRS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)

Weekly appointments with clinical psychologist

Global Assessment Functioning (GAF)

Subjective Likert ratings of: aches/pains, energy, fatigue, sleep, appetite

Procedures
HDRS and BDI

Venipuncture

GAF

Subjective Likert ratings

Results
DHA, EPA and very long chain omega-3 fatty acids increased significantly

Omega-6 fatty acids decreased, plasma-HDL cholesterol increased in fish oil group

HDRS: lower in both groups

BDI: lower in both groups

GAF: increased in both groups

No difference in subjective ratings

So, no detectable benefit of fish oil compared to placebo

Conclusions
These findings don’t support the use of
fish oil as addition to conventional
treatment for major depression.
Arguments
Lifestyle factors can play a more major role in affecting one’s mental health than
particular supplements or dietary changes.

https://elemental.medium.com/should-you-take-fish-oil-for-depression-2e12c1b2f675
Media Sources
The study mentioned in this online article was only able to identify an association
between fish and lower risk of depression, not that fish causes lower risk of
depression. This does not mean fish oil can help treat those already diagnosed
depression.

https://www.webmd.com/depression/news/20150910/could-eating-fish-help-ward-off-
depression#1
Media Sources
It is important to remember
that supplements are not
strictly regulated:

“These statements have not

been evaluated by the Food
and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure, or
prevent any disease.”
References
Grenyer, B., Crowe, T., Meyer, B., Owen, A., Grigonis-Deane, E., Caputi, P., & Howe, P. (2007). Fish oil
supplementation in the treatment of major depression: A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial.
Progress In Neuro-Psychopharmacology And Biological Psychiatry, 31(7), 1393-1396

Ondine van de Rest, Johanna M Geleijnse, Frans J Kok, Wija A van Staveren, Willibrord H Hoefnagels,
Aartjan TF Beekman, Lisette CPGM de Groot, Effect of fish-oil supplementation on mental well-being in
older subjects: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, The American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, Volume 88, Issue 3, September 2008, Pages 706–713, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/88.3.706