The Effect of Perinatal Fish Oil Supplement on Perinatal Depression: A Systemic Review and Meta- Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

Abstract

Background: Perinatal depression is a common complication of pregnancy and can have severe and long-termadverse effects on both mother and infant. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) assessing the effect of fish oilsupplements on perinatal depression have shown mixed results.Objectives: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effects of fish oil supplementation during pregnancy on perinatal depression.Methods: A comprehensive search of MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Registry were conducted in adherence with the PRISMA guideline. Only RCTs published in English from January 2000 to date were included. The participants were pregnant women receiving fish oil supplementation or placebo. Summary effect measure of each study was converted to a common effect measure (log odds ratio) and its variance was calculated to estimate the pooled odds ratio and its 95% confidence Interval using random Effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed used restricted maximum likelihood method.Results: Nine trials were included in our analysis (2,979 women). Prevention Cohort (n = 5): Fish oil supplementation during pregnancy was associated with reduced risk of developing perinatal depression (OR: 0.87; CI: 0.076 to 0.99; p = 0.03). Treatment Cohort (n = 4) Fish oil supplementation during pregnancy was associated with reduced risk of persistent perinatal depression during postpartum period but did not reach statistical significance.Conclusion: In conclusion, a meta-analysis of included RCTs data shows a significant reduction in incidences of perinatal depression in women who received fish oil supplements during pregnancy. However, there was no evidence for a similar effect among women diagnosed with perinatal depression or women with major depressive disorder.