Omega-3 may reduce psychosis risk

For young people at high risk of developing schizophrenia, a 12-week intervention with omega-3 supplements might reduce the long-term risk of progression to the psychotic disorder.

According to a paper published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers from Australia carried out a study over seven years on the effect of omega-3 on the risk of psychotic disorder, reported Xinhua news agency.

Schizophrenia typically manifests in adolescence or early adulthood and the majority of those affected gradually develop a variety of clinically significant signs and symptoms. In 2010, researchers reported that dietary supplements of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), in participants aged 13 to 25, prevented a first episode of a psychotic disorder for up to one year.

The new results showed this intervention had long-term effects even after a period of 6.7 years for 71 of the original 81 participants. They found that 9.8 per cent of the omega-3 group (4 out 41) developed psychosis compared to 40 per cent (16 out of 40) in the placebo group.

In addition, the placebo group showed more rapid onset of psychosis and a higher overall incidence of other psychiatric disorders. But due to the limited size of the sample group, further research was necessary to discover a mechanism by which PUFA supplementation might improve mental health, the researchers said.