Depression: EPA can combat that caused by interferon alpha.
Interferon alpha depression: EPA helps fight it
Omega-3 may prevent depression that arises during treatment of hepatitis C virus infection with interferon alpha (IFN-ɑ). Taking EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) rich supplements for two weeks reduces the depression rate in patients from 30% to 10%.
This is stated in a study published in Biological Psychiatry conducted by researchers led by Professor Carmine Pariante of King’s College London.
Side effects of Interferon
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection often progresses to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Treatment with IFN-alpha is the standard therapy for HCV infection; however, it can cause severe side effects such as fatigue, malaise, anorexia, and apathy. Moreover, up to 30% of patients develop a form of depression within the first 3 months.
These neuropsychiatric effects often lead to premature therapy discontinuation. Routine prophylaxis with antidepressants may expose patients to negative effects, thus alternative preventive interventions are needed. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are safe and effective for treating depression due to their anti-inflammatory action. Also, previous studies have shown low omega-3 levels in red blood cells to be associated with increased risk of IFN-ɑ-induced depression.
DHA reduces depression risk
Pariante and his team recruited 152 hepatitis C patients for the study. Each was randomly assigned to receive daily supplements for two weeks containing 3.5 grams of EPA, or 1.76 grams of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), or a placebo. EPA and DHA doses were chosen based on previous Taiwanese studies showing effective EPA doses between 2.2 and 4.4 grams per day, and DHA doses between 1.2 and 2.2 grams.
After 14 days of supplementation, patients were treated with standard IFN-ɑ doses for 24 weeks and monitored for depressive symptoms. Results showed that, compared to placebo, depression incidence rates were significantly lower in EPA-treated subjects but not in DHA-treated patients (10% and 28% respectively, vs. 30% for placebo). In other words, only one in ten treated with EPA developed inflammation-induced depression, compared to three in ten with DHA or placebo. Both EPA and DHA delayed depression onset to about 12 weeks, versus 5 weeks in placebo. All supplements were well tolerated.
Omega-3 counter inflammation
This is the first study demonstrating the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids in preventing IFN-ɑ-induced depression during hepatitis C treatment, a depression caused by inflammatory mechanisms. However, further studies are needed and results must be replicated.
Source: Kuan-Pin Su, Hsueh-Chou Lai, Hui-Ting Yang, Wen-Pang Su, Cheng-Yuan Peng, Jane Pei-Chen Chang, Hui-Chih Chang, Carmine M. Pariante. “Omega-3 Fatty Acids in the Prevention of Interferon-Alpha-Induced Depression: Results from a Randomized, Controlled Trial” October 1, 2014 Volume 76, Issue 7, Pages 559–566
