However , mechanistic studies found significant improvements in hippocampal neuronal health and brain glutathione .
CONCLUSION There is preliminary evidence that taurine improves outcomes in FEP , whereas effects of omega-3 and antioxidant vitamins/amino-acids are inconsistent ; perhaps mainly benefitting patients with high levels of oxidative stress .
AIM The effects of nutrient-based treatments , including adjunctive vitamin or antioxidant supplementation , have been explored extensively in long-term schizophrenia .
However , no systematic evaluation of trials in " first-episode psychosis " ( FEP ) has been conducted , despite the potential benefits of using these treatments during the early stages of illness .
Therefore , we aim ed to review all studies examining efficacy , tolerability and the biological mechanisms of action , of nutrient supplementation in FEP .
Inflammation as a Predictive Biomarker for Response to Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Major Depressive Disorder: A Proof of Concept Study
This study explores whether inflammatory biomarkers act as moderators of clinical response to omega-3 ( n-3 ) fatty acids in subjects with major depressive disorder ( MDD ) . One hundred fifty-five subjects with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , 4th Edition ( DSM-IV ) MDD , a baseline 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale ( HAM-D-17 ) score ⩾15 and baseline biomarker data ( interleukin (IL)-1ra , IL-6 , high-sensitivity C-reactive protein ( hs-CRP ) , leptin and adiponectin ) were r and omized between 18 May 2006 and 30 June 2011 to 8 weeks of double-blind treatment with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)-enriched n-3 1060 mg day−1 , docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-enriched n-3 900 mg day−1 or placebo . Outcomes were determined using mixed model repeated measures analysis for ‘ high ’ and ‘ low ’ inflammation groups based on individual and combined biomarkers . Results are presented in terms of st and ardized treatment effect size ( ES ) for change in HAM-D-17 from baseline to treatment week 8 . Although overall treatment group differences were negligible ( ES=−0.13 to + 0.04 ) , subjects with any ‘ high ’ inflammation improved more on EPA than placebo ( ES=−0.39 ) or DHA ( ES=−0.60 ) and less on DHA than placebo ( ES=+0.21 ) ; furthermore , EPA-placebo separation increased with increasing numbers of markers of high inflammation . Subjects r and omized to EPA with ‘ high ’ IL-1ra or hs-CRP or low adiponectin ( ‘ high ’ inflammation ) had medium ES decreases in HAM-D-17 scores vs subjects ‘ low ’ on these biomarkers . Subjects with ‘ high ’ hs-CRP , IL-6 or leptin were less placebo-responsive than subjects with low levels of these biomarkers ( medium to large ES differences ) . Employing multiple markers of inflammation facilitated identification of a more homogeneous cohort of subjects with MDD responding to EPA vs placebo in our cohort . Studies are needed to replicate and extend this proof-of-concept work
However , mechanistic studies found significant improvements in hippocampal neuronal health and brain glutathione .
CONCLUSION There is preliminary evidence that taurine improves outcomes in FEP , whereas effects of omega-3 and antioxidant vitamins/amino-acids are inconsistent ; perhaps mainly benefitting patients with high levels of oxidative stress .
AIM The effects of nutrient-based treatments , including adjunctive vitamin or antioxidant supplementation , have been explored extensively in long-term schizophrenia .
However , no systematic evaluation of trials in " first-episode psychosis " ( FEP ) has been conducted , despite the potential benefits of using these treatments during the early stages of illness .
Therefore , we aim ed to review all studies examining efficacy , tolerability and the biological mechanisms of action , of nutrient supplementation in FEP .