OMEGA-3 FATTY ACID SUPPLEMENTATION IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA: REVIEW ARTICLE
Keywords:
omega-3 fatty acid, schizophrenia, adjunctive treatmentAbstract
Objectives: To review the literature and evaluate the effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on the prevention and control of schizophrenia symptoms.
Material and Methods: We searched for the original articles which were double-blind randomized controlled clinical trials published in English in the PubMed and Embase, using the following keywords: omega-3 fatty acid, ultra-high risk for psychosis, first-episode schizophrenia and chronic schizophrenia. Full texts were synthesized and discussed.
Results: A total of 131 studied were retrieved and screened. There were 8 studies from population at ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR), 4 studies from patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES) and 3 studies from patients with chronic schizophrenia. Omega-3 fatty acids supplementation at 1.2 g/day in UHR population could significantly lower the incidence of psychotic symptoms than the placebo group (4.9% and 27.5%, respectively, p-value 0.007). Daily supplementation of 1.14 - 2.2 g omega-3 fatty acids in combination with antipsychotic drugs reduced the severity of psychotic symptoms in patients with FES but it was ineffective to prevent relapse. Inconsistent results were reported when supplemented with 1 - 3 g/day of omega-3 fatty acids for 8 - 16 weeks, in combination with antipsychotic drugs in patients with chronic schizophrenia.
Conclusion: Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation is likely to reduce the incidence of psychosis in population at ultra-high risk for psychosis and can reduce the severity of psychotic symptoms of patients with FES. Further studies are still required to confirm the benefit of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in patients with chronic schizophrenia.
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