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. 2023 Sep 30;15(19):4231.
doi: 10.3390/nu15194231.

Effects of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Intake on Vasomotor Symptoms, Sleep Quality and Depression in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review

Ayesha Zafar Iqbal  1   2 , Suet-Kei Wu  1   2 , Halliru Zailani  1   2 , Wei-Che Chiu  3   4 , Wen-Chun Liu  5 , Kuan-Pin Su  2   5   6 , Shin-Da Lee  7
Affiliations

Effects of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Intake on Vasomotor Symptoms, Sleep Quality and Depression in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review

Ayesha Zafar Iqbal et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

The menopausal transition is often accompanied with distressing manifestations, such as vasomotor symptoms, sleep disruptions, and depressive syndrome. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) have emerged as a potential intervention to alleviate these symptoms. This review aimed to comprehensively assess the impact of n-3 PUFAs supplementation on vasomotor symptoms, sleep quality, and depression among postmenopausal women. We conducted a systematic literature search of randomized controlled trials across the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and SCOPUS databases from inception to August 2023. Among the initial pool of 163 identified studies, nine studies met the inclusion criteria and were incorporated into this systematic review. Notably, four studies detected potential benefits of n-3 PUFAs in improving hot flashes and night sweats. On the contrary, sleep quality outcomes displayed heterogeneity across the studies. Incorporating diverse scales, such as the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-21, the Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 for depression outcomes, we found inconclusive evidence of n-3 PUFA's impact on depression. Overall, the combined analysis of these studies did not provide substantial evidence to support the efficacy of n-3 PUFAs in improving vasomotor symptoms, sleep quality, and depression. Further well-designed randomized clinical trials with larger participant groups are crucial to validate and generalize these results. Review Registration: PROSPERO registration no: CRD42023421922.

Keywords: amenorrhea; depression; hot flashes; omega-3 PUFA; post-menopause; sleep quality; vasomotor symptoms.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
n-3 PUFAs’ role in improving vasomotor symptoms sleep quality and depression. Plus (+), and minus (−) signs represent a positive and negative relationship.
Figure 2
Figure 2
PRISMA flowchart for study search and selection strategy.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Risk of bias for studies with n-3 PUFAs and premenopausal women. Green (+), a low risk of bias; red (−), a high risk of bias. [27,28,31,35,36,37,38,39,40,41].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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