The Impact of Fish Oil

Supplementation on
Depression
Sam Kosmacki, Maddy Moore,
Alexis Scalise, & Lauren Ritenour
Background
● In a study conducted over three months, adults aged 18-65 who switched to a
Mediterranean diet and supplemented with fish oil had a significant improvement
in mental health compared to the group of adults who did not switch their diet or
take fish oil (Parletta et al 2017).
● During a study on rats, it was found that fish oil increases eicosapentaenoic acid
(EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in cerebral cortex and hippocampus which
induces an antidepressant effect (Naliwaiko 2004).
● A study on female rats showed the effect of the olfactory bulbectomy on
depressive like behaviors with the supplementation of fish oil. The rats received
the supplementation during habituation, mating, gestation, and lactation. The
results showed that taking fish oil during critical periods of brain development
decreased depressive behaviors induced by the olfactory bulbectomy (Pudell
2014).
Purpose
● To determine whether or not Nature Made fish oil supplementation
reduces depressive-like behavior in males and females ages 18 to 30.
Hypotheses
● Null: There will be no significant difference in effects between the
populations treated with Nature Made fish oil supplementation versus
those not treated with fish oil supplementation.
● Research: Nature Made Fish oil supplementation will decrease the
amount of depressive-like behavior and cognitive impairment.
● Operative Words:
○ Depression- a constant feeling of sadness and misery
○ Fish Oil- a supplement rich in omega 3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and
eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
Methods
● Randomized Controlled Study
● 30 adults 18-30 with clinically diagnosed depression were randomized to
receive over-the-counter Nature Made 1000mg fish oil supplements (once a
day for three months) and be placed into social groups (attending 2 hour
sessions once a week for three months)
○ Group A: individuals given over-the-counter Nature Made 1000 mg fish oil supplements and
placed in social groups
○ Group B: individuals not given any treatment
● Independent Variable(s): dosage of fish oil, brand of fish oil, social group
sessions, Depression Scale
● Dependent Variable(s): depressive-like behavior
Methods Continued
● The Depression Scale was the
primary outcome measure
○ Measured depression pre-
supplementation and pre-social
group attendance, mid-way
through the research study, and
post-supplementation and post-
social group attendance
● 0= less depressive-like
behavior
● 2= more depressive-like
behavior
Statistics
● Independent T Test
○ 30 subjects with clinically-diagnosed depression are randomly placed in two groups.
Group A is receiving 1000mg of over-the-counter Nature Made fish oil supplements daily
and attending weekly social group sessions. Group B (placebo) is neither receiving
Nature Made fish oil supplements or attending social group sessions.
● The two groups will be tested three times: pre-test, mid-way test, and
post-test
Results
● Adults that received the Nature Made fish oil pill (group A) and attended
weekly social group sessions, showed a significant decrease in depression
● Those who received the placebo pill (group B) showed no significant
changes in depression throughout the study
Data - Group A
● Significant decreases in
overall depression score
shown in experimental group
data
Data - Group B
● No significant differences in
overall depression score in
placebo group data
Conclusion

● We conclude that Nature Made fish

oil supplementation positively
impacts the decrease in clinically-
diagnosed depression over the
course of three months in both
males and females 18-30 years old.
Limitations
● Testing limitations due to multiple testing (History)
● Qualitative measurements (Depression Scale)
● Conflicts causing limited attendance from social group sessions
● Different dosages of Nature Made fish oil supplementation could provide
different results (our study used 1000 mg dosages)
● Internal Validity: Selection bias (age limitation, brand of fish oil, clinically-
diagnosed depressive subjects limitation, geographical limitation)
● External Validity: their diet outside of the study could include more
omega-3s, some people are allergic to shellfish
Recommendations for future studies
● Broaden the age and geographical ranges to increase generalizability
(increase external validity)
● Test different brands of fish oil and compare their effectiveness on
decreasing depression
● Test different dosages of fish oil and their effectiveness on decreasing
depression
● Further study in specifically postpartum depression
References
Dang, R., Zhou, X., Tang, M., Xu, P., Gong, X., Liu, Y., Jiao, H., & Jiang, P. (2018). Fish oil supplementation attenuates neuroinflammation and
alleviates depressive-like behavior in rats submitted to repeated lipopolysaccharide. European Journal of Nutrition, 57(3), 893–906.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-016-1373-z

dos Santos Vaz, J., Farias, D. R., Adegboye, A. R. A., Nardi, A. E., Kac, G., & Vaz, J. D. S. (2017). Omega-3 supplementation from pregnancy to
postpartum to prevent depressive symptoms: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth, 17, 1–13.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-017-1365-x

Naliwaiko, K., Araújo, R., Fonseca, R. D., Castilho, J., Andreatini, R., Bellissimo, M., Oliveira, B., Martins, E., Curi, R., Fernandes, L., & Ferraz, A. (2004,
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vid=6&sid=d334e7ef-87a7-441b-9ea4-d513f5590c59%40redis.

Parletta, N., Zarnowiecki, D., Cho, J., Wilson, A., Bogomolova, S., Villani, A., Itsiopoulos, C., Niyonsenga, T., Blunden, S., Meyer, B., Segal,
L., Baune, B. T., & O’Dea, K. (2017, December 7). A Mediterranean-style dietary intervention supplemented with fish oil improves diet quality
and mental health in people with depression: A randomized controlled trial (HELFIMED). Nutritional Neuroscience. Retrieved November 15,
2021, from https://web.s.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=6&sid=de17d7b2-0836-4b04-a892-94302a627123%40redis.

Pudell, C., Vicente, B. A., Delattre, A. M., Carabelli, B., Mori, M. A., Suchecki, D., Machado, R. B., Zanata, S. M., Visentainer, J. V., Oliveira Santos, O.,
Lima, M. M. S., & Ferraz, A. C. (2014). Fish oil improves anxiety-like, depressive-like and cognitive behaviors in olfactory bulbectomised rats.
European Journal of Neuroscience, 39(2), 266–274. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.12406
Q & A Discussion