Omega-3 fatty acids for a better mental state in working populations - Happy Nurse Project: A 52-week randomized controlled trial
Abstract
The efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids for maintaining a better mental state has not been examined among working populations. We aimed to explore the effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acids for hospital nurses. In a multi-center randomized trial, 80 junior nurses were randomly allocated to either omega-3 fatty acids (1200 mg/day of eicosapentaenoic acid and 600 mg/day of docosahexaenoic acid) or identical placebo pills for 13 weeks. The primary outcome was the total score of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), determined by a blinded rater at week 26 from the study enrolment. Secondary outcomes included the total score of the HADS at 13 and 52 weeks; incidence of a major depressive episode; severity of depression, anxiety, insomnia, burnout, and presenteeism; utility scores; and adverse events at 13, 26 and 52 weeks. The mean HADS score at baseline was 7.2. At 26 weeks, adjusted mean scores on the HADS were 6.32 (95% CIs of standard errors: 5.13, 7.52) in the intervention and 6.81 (5.57, 8.05) in the placebo groups, respectively. The coefficient of the group by time interaction was not statistically significant at 0.58 (-1.35, 2.50; P = 0.557). Although the intervention group showed significant superiority on the HADS score at 52 weeks, depression severity at 52 weeks, insomnia severity at 13 weeks, and absolute presenteeism at 26 weeks, no significant superiority or inferiority was observed on the other outcomes. The additive value of omega-3 fatty acids was not…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Promising Sources of Plant-Derived Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: A Narrative Review
- Effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake in patients with chronic kidney disease: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
- Effect of omega-3 fatty acids on cognition: an updated systematic review of randomized clinical trials
- The role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A narrative review
- Paucity of evidence for a relationship between long-chain omega-3 fatty acid intake and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review
- Omega-3 fatty acid nanocarriers: Characterization and potential applications
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.