Comparative Efficacy of Omega-3 Fatty Acid with Other Interventions for Depression in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

source extracted confidence: high 2026-04-09
#adolescent #child #humans #depression #major-depressive-disorder

Comparative Efficacy of Omega-3 Fatty Acid with Other Interventions for Depression in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

Lam et al., 2024 | J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol | Systematic Review

Citation

Lam Chifong, Han Lin, ... Cao Bing. Comparative Efficacy of Omega-3 Fatty Acid with Other Interventions for Depression in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2024-Sep;34(7):282-291. doi:10.1089/cap.2024.0017

Abstract

Background: The administration of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplements is recommended as an adjuvant therapy for adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder. The evaluation of replicated data in combination treatment with omega-3 has been extensively conducted in adults over the past decade. However, the generalizability of these findings to pediatric groups is still uncertain. The objectives of this evaluation were twofold: (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of omega-3 and associated combination therapies in reducing the severity of depressive symptoms, and (2) to include remission rates (i.e., reduction of more than 50% in depression symptoms) as a measure of therapeutic efficacy. Methods: We conducted a literature search on PubMed/EMBASE from inception to October 2023. Data analyses were conducted using Stata (version 17.0). Results: We identified a total of 3168 articles. After eligibility screening of identified studies, nine studies (n = 561 participants) were included in our analysis herein. Pairwise comparisons revealed no significant improvement in depression symptoms for any intervention versus placebo. However, a clustered ranking plot identified omega-3 plus inositol as the most effective treatment for pediatric depression (77.3% efficacy). Omega-3 paired with psychoeducational psychotherapy significantly lowered the remission rate compared to placebo (standardized mean difference = 0.44, 95% confidence interval: 0.00-0.87, p = 0.048), resulting in a 91.5% remission rate, making it the most effective treatment in the study. Conclusions: Taken together, this network meta-analysis presents compelling evidence supporting the antidepressant effects of omega-3 in pediatric groups with depression. Future research should aim to investigate omega-3 as monotherapy for young individuals with depression, as well as investigate the efficacy of omega-3 in comparison to psychosocial interventions for affected individuals.

Key Findings

We identified a total of 3168 articles. After eligibility screening of identified studies, nine studies (n = 561 participants) were included in our analysis herein. Pairwise comparisons revealed no significant improvement in depression symptoms for any intervention versus placebo. However, a clustered ranking plot identified omega-3 plus inositol as the most effective treatment for pediatric depression (77.3% efficacy). Omega-3 paired with psychoeducational psychotherapy significantly lowered th

Outcomes Measured

  • depression

Population

Field Value
Population depression
Sample Size 561
Age Range See abstract
Condition depression

MeSH Terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Humans
  • Depression
  • Major Depressive Disorder
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Fatty Acids, Omega-3
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Combined Modality Therapy

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Systematic Review
  • Publication Types: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Systematic Review, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Network Meta-Analysis
  • Vertical: omega-3

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09