03.01.08
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences are seeking participants for a clinical trial examining whether certain omega 3 fatty acids are effective treatments for depression, according to news-medical.net. The two fatty acids being studied are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid)—this is the first time a clinical trial will systematically test the two against each other and against placebo in a large sample of people with major depression. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is sponsoring this study, which will recruit a total of 300 subjects between the ages of 18 and 80 who are experiencing significant symptoms of major depression but are otherwise in good health. News-medical.net says the study will go on for a period of five years. Participants will receive one of the two drugs or placebo for eight weeks in a randomized, double-blind manner.