A pilot randomized controlled trial of omegaâ 3 fatty acid supplementation for the treatment of anxiety in adolescents with anorexia nervosa

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of omegaâ 3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation for treatment of trait anxiety among adolescent females with restrictive anorexia nervosa (AN).MethodA pilot doubleâ blind, placeboâ controlled randomized trial of adolescent females with AN (Nâ =â 24) entering Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) from January 2015 to February 2016. Participants were randomized to four daily PUFA (2,120â mg eicosapentaenoic acid/600â mg docosohexaenoic acid) or placebo capsules for 12â weeks. A 9â item questionnaire of side effect frequency assessed medication tolerability. The Beck Anxiety Inventoryâ Trait measured anxiety at baseline, 6, and 12â weeks. Linear mixed models evaluated associations between randomization group and study outcomes. Twentyâ two and 18 participants completed 6 and 12â weeks of data collection, respectively.ResultsMedication side effect scores were low and were not significantly different between randomization groups at Week 6 (pâ =â .20) or 12 (pâ =â .41). Mean trait anxiety score significantly (pâ <â .01) decreased from baseline to 12â weeks in both groups, and the rate of change over the course of time did not differ between omegaâ 3 PUFA and placebo groups (pâ =â .55).ConclusionOmegaâ 3 PUFA supplementation was well tolerated in adolescent females with AN. Although power to detect differences was limited, we found no evidence that omegaâ 3 PUFA benefited anxiety beyond nutritional restoration.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147040/1/eat22964_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147040/2/eat22964.pd