Fish oil reduces psychosis in high-risk adolescents

Fish oil may protect young people at risk of schizophrenia from developing psychosis, Australian researchers have found. The placebo controlled trial of 81 high-risk young adults found that at 40 weeks follow-up two out of 41 participants receiving fish oil supplements became psychotic compared with 11 of 40 controls. The intervention also led to significant symptomatic and functional improvements during the 12 month follow-up period. Writing in the Archives of Psychiatry the study authors from the Orygen Youth Health Research Centre in Melbourne said four patients would need to be treated with fish oil supplements to prevent one episode of psychosis in a 12-month period. This was directly comparable with numbers needed to treat reported from previous trials of atypical antipsychotics. “The most striking finding is that the group differences were sustained after cessation of the intervention. Trials of antipsychotics have not found this,” the study authors wrote. This sustained effect may be explained by neuroprotective properties since fish oil could induce antiapoptotic and antioxidant factors, they said. The finding that treatment with natural substance may prevent or at least delay the onset of psychotic disorder gives hope that there may be alternatives to antipsychotics in the prodromal phase, the study authors concluded. Study co-author Dr Paul Amminger from Orygen Youth Health Research Centre told Psychiatry Update that the fish oil may work on a neuro protective level by integrating in brain cell membranes and assisting neurotransmission on both a serotonin and dopaminergic level. A multi-centre study will begin this month and will include up to 70 young people from Melbourne and around 50 from Sydney. This length of intervention will be six months, with a 12 and 18 month follow up.   Archives of General Psychiatry 2010; 67: 146-154....