Fish oil treatment for depression in cardiovascular disease

Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation for symptoms of depression in patients with cardiovascular disease

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12608000598381

Enrollment

250

Registered

2008-12-01

Start date

2008-11-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

The aim of this project is to evaluate the potential for supplementation with long-chain omega-3 fatty acids to relieve depressive symptoms and improve health status in cardiac patients suffering from depression. The study will explore potential mechanisms mediating these benefits, with a particular focus on the role of serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms and changes in cerebral blood flow. It is anticipated that depressive symptoms will be greatest in people who have reduced cerebral blood flow and a particular form of serotonin transporter gene. However, it is expected that omega-3 supplementation will increase serotonin receptor expression and cerebral blood flow, thereby improving depressive symptoms, but that these improvements will be less in people who carry the 5HTT-S gene. It is also expected that omega-3 supplementation will improve peripheral blood vessel function, which will be associated with improvements in depressive symptoms and angina scores.

Interventions

Volunteers will be required to consume four 1 gram capsules of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)-rich fish oil per day for 6 months. Each capsule will contain 500mg of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 25 mg of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) These capsules will be taken orally.

Study design

Allocation

Randomised controlled trial

Intervention model

Parallel

Primary purpose

Treatment

Masking

Blinded (masking used)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 75 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

(a) angiographically-documented coronary artery disease, defined as >50% stenosis in an epicardial coronary artery on selective coronary angiography. (b) Co-morbid depression as determined by a score of greater than or equal to 16 on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies – Depression (CES-D) scale (c) able to complete questionnaires in written English.

Exclusion criteria

(a) more than one fish meals per week (b) currently using fish oil supplementation (>300mg eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)+ docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)/day)

Outcome results