Omega 3 fatty acids in bipolar disorder: a preliminary double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Stoll AL, Severus WE, Severus WE, Rueter S, Zboyan HA, Diamond E, Cress KK, Marangell LB. (1999) Archives of General Psychiatry 56 (5) 507-12
Abstract:
BACKGROUND:
Omega3 fatty acids may inhibit neuronal signal transduction pathways in a manner similar to that of lithium carbonate and valproate, 2 effective treatments for bipolar disorder. The present study was performed to examine whether omega3 fatty acids also exhibit mood-stabilizing properties in bipolar disorder.
METHODS:
A 4-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, comparing omega3 fatty acids (9.6 g/d) vs placebo (olive oil), in addition to usual treatment, in 30 patients with bipolar disorder.
RESULTS:
A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis of the cohort found that the omega3 fatty acid patient group had a significantly longer period of remission than the placebo group (P = .002; Mantel-Cox). In addition, for nearly every other outcome measure, the omega3 fatty acid group performed better than the placebo group.
CONCLUSION:
Omega3 fatty acids were well tolerated and improved the short-term course of illness in this preliminary study of patients with bipolar disorder.
FAB RESEARCH COMMENT:
The success of this pilot study has led to larger trials of treatment with omega-3 fatty acids in bipolar disorder, although results from these are not yet published.
Meanwhile, more detailed information on this topic can be found elsewhere on this website, including
- A handout containing an interview with Dr Stoll, the first author of this pilot study: see
- Dr Stoll's popular book, available from our online bookstore:
See also the following comments on this study, and the authors' reply:
And for more information on this topic since this landmark research was first published, see the following list of research studies, which is regularly updated:
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