SynthesisBMC psychiatry2024
Efficacy and safety of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation for anxiety symptoms: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in BMC psychiatry, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake, Anxiety, and Depression Among University Students in the UK: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study.Nutrients · 2026Article
- From Plate to Mind: Scientific Perspectives on Foods That May Influence Anxiety and Depression.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Global Access to Uncontaminated Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Requires Attention.AJPM focus · 2025Article
- Nutrition Support Therapy.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2025Review
- The role of fatty acids in the emotional well-being of young adults: associations between fatty acid levels and symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep disturbances.Postepy psychiatrii neurologii · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND/
objectivesThere is uncertainty about the optimum dose of omega-3 fatty acids for anxiety symptoms. We aimed to find the dose-dependent effect of omega-3 supplementation on anxiety symptoms.
methodsWe systematically reviewed PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science until December 2022 to find randomized trials that assessed the effects of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on anxiety symptoms in adults. Investigators performed the literature search and screened the titles/abstracts and full-texts and between-reviewer agreement was assessed as Cohen's kappa coefficient. We conducted a random-effects dose-response meta-analysis to estimate standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and assessed the certainty of evidence using the GRADE framework.
resultsA total of 23 trials with 2189 participants were included. Each 1 gram per day supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids resulted in a moderate decrease in anxiety symptoms (SMD: -0.70, 95%CI: -1.17, -0.22; GRADE = low). The non-linear dose-response analysis indicated the greatest improvement at 2 g/d (SMD: -0.93, 95%CI: -1.85, -0.01), and that supplementation in a dose lower than 2 g/d did not affect anxiety symptoms. Omega-3 fatty acids did not increase adverse events (odds ratio: 1.20, 95%CI: 0.89, 1.61; GRADE = moderate).
conclusionsThe present dose-response meta-analysis suggested evidence of very low certainty that supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids may significantly improve anxiety symptoms, with the greatest improvements at 2 g/d. More trials with better methodological quality are needed to reach more robust evidence. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO (CRD42022309636).
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.