Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Introduction: Late-life depression (LLD) is a prevalent condition in older adults and a significant risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia. In Indonesia, with its aging population and specific dietary patterns, understanding interventions for LLD-associated cognitive impairment is crucial. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) offer potential neuroprotective benefits. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of long-term omega-3 PUFA supplementation in mitigating cognitive decline among older adults with LLD in Palembang, Indonesia.
Methods: This 24-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in Palembang. Three hundred sixty older adults (aged ≥60 years) with a current DSM-5 diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and subjective cognitive complaints were randomized (1:1) to receive either daily oral supplementation of 2.2 grams of omega-3 PUFAs (containing 1320 mg eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and 880 mg docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]) or a matched placebo (corn oil). The primary outcome was the change in the Indonesian version of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog-INA) score over 24 months. Secondary outcomes included changes in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Indonesian version (MoCA-INA), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-30), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), and high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP).
Results: Over 24 months, the omega-3 group exhibited significantly less decline on the ADAS-Cog-INA compared to the placebo group (mean difference: -2.1 points; 95% CI: -3.8 to -0.4; p=0.018). Statistically significant benefits for the omega-3 group were also observed in MoCA-INA scores (mean difference: 1.5 points; p=0.025) and GDS-30 scores (mean difference: -2.5 points; p=0.011). BDNF levels increased significantly in the omega-3 group relative to placebo (p=0.008), while hs-CRP levels showed a non-significant trend towards reduction (p=0.072).
Conclusion: Long-term supplementation with 2.2 g/day of EPA-rich omega-3 PUFAs resulted in a modest but statistically significant attenuation of cognitive decline and improvement in depressive symptoms in older adults with LLD in Palembang. These findings suggest that omega-3 PUFAs could be a valuable adjunctive therapeutic strategy in this specific Southeast Asian population.
Keywords
Article Details
As our aim is to disseminate original research article, hence the publishing right is a necessary one. The publishing right is needed in order to reach the agreement between the author and publisher. As the journal is fully open access, the authors will sign an exclusive license agreement.
The authors have the right to:
- Share their article in the same ways permitted to third parties under the relevant user license.
- Retain copyright, patent, trademark and other intellectual property rights including research data.
- Proper attribution and credit for the published work.
For the open access article, the publisher is granted to the following right.
- The non-exclusive right to publish the article and grant right to others.
- For the published article, the publisher applied for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
