Comparison between the AA/EPA ratio in depressed and non depressed elderly females: omega-3 fatty acid supplementation correlates with improved symptoms but does not change immunological parameters

Nutrition Journal

Research

Mariangela Rondanelli¹  Annalisa Opizzi¹  Milena Faliva¹  Attilio Giacosa²  Giovanni Ricevuti³  Paola Antonia Corsetto⁴  Gigliola Montorfano⁴  Angela Maria Rizzo⁴  Bruno Berra⁴  Claudio Pelucchi⁵ 

[1] Department of Applied Health Sciences, Azienda di Servizi alla Persona (ASP) di Pavia, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia, Italy;Department of Gastroenterology, Policlinico di Monza, Monza, Italy;Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, Geriatric Section, University of Pavia, Azienda di Servizi alla Persona (ASP) di Pavia, Pavia, Italy;Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via D. Trentacoste 2, 20134, Milan, Italy;Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, Milan, Italy;

关键词: Omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids;    Depressed mood;    Elderly;    AA/EPA;    Cell membrane;    Phospholipids;    EPA;    DHA;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1475-2891-11-82

 received in 2011-12-16, accepted in 2012-09-28,  发布年份 2012

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundDepression is one of the most frequently missed diagnoses in elderly people, with obvious negative effects on quality of life. Various studies have shown that long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) may be useful in its management. Our objective was to evaluate whether a supplement containing n-3 PUFA improves depressive symptoms in depressed elderly patients, and whether the blood fatty acid pattern is correlated with these changes.MethodsThe severity of depressive symptoms according to the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), blood fatty acid composition and erythrocyte phospholipids were analyzed in 46 depressed females aged 66-95y, diagnosed with depression according to DSMIV, within the context of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. 22 depressed females were included in the intervention group (2.5 g/day of n-3 PUFA for 8 weeks), and 24 in the placebo group. We also measured immunological parameters (CD2, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16, CD19 and cytokines (IL-5, IL-15).ResultsThe mean GDS score and AA/EPA ratio, in whole blood and RBC membrane phospholipids, were significantly lower after 2 months supplementation with n-3 PUFA. A significant correlation between the amelioration of GDS and the AA/EPA ratio with some immunological parameters, such as CD2, CD19, CD4, CD16 and the ratio CD4/CD8, was also found. Nevertheless, omega-3 supplementation did not significantly improve the studied immunological functions.Conclusionsn-3 PUFA supplementation ameliorates symptoms in elderly depression. The n-3 PUFA status may be monitored by means of the determination of whole blood AA/EPA ratio.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Rizzo et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012