DHA/EPA Omega-3 Supplementation Reduce the Risk of Psychotic Disorder

The primary goal of the present clinical trial was to determine if long-chain omega-3 fatty acid supplementation (as DHA plus EPA) may reduce the rate of progression to first-episode psychotic disorder in adolescents and young adults with sub-threshold psychosis. The subjects were eligible for participation if aged 13-25 years and met appropriate test criteria of risk factors for becoming psychotic within a fixed time period. The trial was a randomized , double-blind, placebo-controlled treatment trial wherein the 81 eligible subjects received a placebo (control group) or daily omega-3 supplementation providing 700 mg EPA plus 480 mg DHA (total sum of 1180 mg ) for 12 weeks . The primary efficacy end-point was conversion to psychotic disorder as defined by appropriate clinical criteria.

The risk of transition to psychotic disorder was significantly lower in the omega-3 group such that the cumulative conversion to psychotic disorder was only 4.9 % in the omega-3 group as compared to 27.5 % in the placebo group. The authors concluded that long-chain omega-3 fatty acids ‘reduce the risk of progression to psychotic disorder and may offer a safe and efficacious strategy for indicated prevention in young people with subthreshold psychotic states’.