Omega-3 fatty acids benefit children with depression

Major depressive disorders in children are possibly more common than once thought, and the benefits of additional supplements are unclear.

Previous studies in adults with major depressive disorders have shown that omega-3 fatty acids may be effective as an additional therapy but the effects of the supplement on children with the depression was unknown.

A pilot study conducted by Israeli researchers has found such children can benefit from treatment with the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils.

To test the effect in children researchers at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, carried out a trial with 28 depressed children between the ages of 6 and 12 years old.

Dr. R. H. Belmaker and colleagues randomly assigned the children to receive an omega-3 fatty acid supplements or a placebo.

At the start of the the 16-week study standardized depression scores were used to assess the children and at 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks throughout trial period.

Twenty children remained in the study for at least 1 month and at the conclusion of the trial, the scores showed that 7 out of 10 of the children who received the omega-3 fatty acids had a 50 percent reduction in depression, while four children in this group reported no depression at all.

None of the children in the placebo group showed a reduction in depression scores.

None of the children suffered any clinically relevant side effects say the researchers.

The omega-3 fatty acid supplement used in the study is commonly available as an over-the-counter preparation.

Belmaker and colleagues say, in what is believed to be first such study conducted in children, the effects of omega-3 fatty acids are "highly significant" and may have therapeutic benefits in childhood depression.

The research is published in the current issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.