Correlation between intake of omega-3 fatty acids and depressive and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy

Abstract: Introduction: Anxiety and depression during pregnancy are disabling disorders associated to complications during the pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum period, with a significant prevalence, between 9 and 20%, hence its importance. Nutritional factors, such as omega-3 fatty acids (ω-3FA) deficiency, have been related with both disorders during pregnancy, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Objective: To evaluate the association between dietary intake of EPA and DHA, and anxiety symptoms (AS) and depressive symptoms (DS) in Mexican pregnant women. Method: The sample consisted of 151 women in the second trimester of pregnancy. Instruments included a Food Frequency Questionnaire, the Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Results: A daily intake of DHA and EPA of 70 mg/d and 30 mg/d, respectively, was found. The prevalence of AS was 44.4%, and 17.9% for DS. We also found the correlation negatively moderate between dietary intake of DHA and EPA and AS (p = .003, p = .017) and DS (p = .001, p = .020) in the group of women who had a severely insufficient intake of ω-3FA. Discussion and conclusion: The statistical significance shows a negative correlation between variables and the dietary intake of ω-3FA explains in a very small percentage the variability of AS and DS, according to their coefficient of determination. These results suggest the need for an investigation of this relationship through interventional studies.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Álvarez-Ramírez,Miriam, Lara,Ma. Asunción, Cervantes-Alfaro,José Miguel, Robinson-Fuentes,Virginia Angélica, Alveano-Hernández,Jesús
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz 2018
Online Access:http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0185-33252018000100031
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