Table 3.

Randomized Controlled Trials of PUFA Supplementation in Bipolar Disorder

Study	Design	Dose	Duration, wk	No. of Patients	Outcomes	Results
Stoll et al, 199937	RCT DB, PC	EPA 6.2 and DHA 3.4 g/d vs placebo caps	16	44	HDRS YMRS	Significant reduction in HDRS scores in omega-3 group, but not YMRS scores
Chiu et al, 200538	RCT DB, PC	EPA 440 mg and DHA 240 mg/d vs olive oil placebo caps	4	15	YMRS	Reduced scores in both groups, but no significant difference between groups
Keck et al, 200639	RCT DB, PC	EPA 6 g/d vs placebo caps	16	121	IDS-C YMRS	No significant difference between groups in any outcome
Frangou et al, 200640	RCT DB, PC	EPA 1 or 2 g/d vs placebo caps	12	75	HDRS YMRS	Significant reduction in both EPA groups as compared to placebo in HDRS scores, but not on YMRS scores
Frangou et al, 200741	RCT DB, PC	EPA 2 g/d vs liquid paraffin	12	14	HDRS	No significant difference between groups
Gracious et al, 201042	RCT DB, PC	Flaxseed oil (ALA) 6.6 g/d vs placebo	16	51	CDRS-R YMRS	No significant difference between groups
Murphy et al, 201243	RCT DB, PC	EPA 3 g/d + cytidine 2 g/d vs EPA 3 g/d + placebo vs placebo + placebo	16	45	MADRS YMRS	No significant difference between groups

Abbreviations: ALA = α-linolenic acid, CDRS-R = Child Depression Rating Scale-Revised, DB = double-blind, DHA = docosahexaenoic acid, EPA = eicosapentaenoic acid, HDRS = Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, IDS-C = Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, MADRS = Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, PC = placebo-controlled, PUFA = polyunsaturated fatty acid, RCT = randomized controlled trial, YMRS = Young Mania Rating Scale.