Adjunctive Nutraceuticals for Depression

OBJECTIVES: Many people who are diagnosed with bipolar disorder also have comorbid personality disorder. Few studies have explored how personality disorder may influence pharmacological treatment outcomes. The aim of this study was to conduct a secondary analysis of data from a clinical trial of adjunctive nutraceutical treatments for bipolar depression, to determine whether maladaptive personality traits influence treatment outcomes. METHODS: Scores on the Standardised Assessment of Personality - Abbreviated Scale screener were used to classify participants as having bipolar disorder with ( n  = 119) and without ( n  = 29) above threshold personality disorder symptoms (personality disorder)...

Depressive disorders pose significant challenges to global public health, necessitating effective prevention and management strategies. Notably, the occurrence of suicide frequently coincides with depressive episodes. Suicide is as a paramount global health concern that demands efficacious preventive strategies. Current psychiatric approaches heavily rely on pharmacological interventions but have had limited success in addressing the global burden of mental health issues. Suboptimal nutrition, with its impact on the neuroendocrine system, has been implicated in the underlying pathology of depressive disorders...

OBJECTIVE: Depression represents one of the most severe psychiatric disorders, characterized by low mood episodes, as well as loss of interest. Major Depressive Episodes (MDE) treatment relies primarily on monoaminergic prescriptions. However, although the presence of many antidepressant medications, their efficacy is still partial. A promising intervention to improve antidepressant treatment may be the use of adjunctive nutraceuticals. Aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of a N-Acetyl-cysteine, S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine and Folic acid's combination for the treatment of depressive symptoms in a sample of MDE patients...

OBJECTIVE: Bipolar disorder often co-occurs with post-traumatic stress disorder, yet few studies have investigated the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder in bipolar disorder on treatment outcomes. The aim of this sub-analysis was to explore symptoms and functioning outcomes between those with bipolar disorder alone and those with comorbid bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. METHODS: Participants (n = 148) with bipolar depression were randomised to: (i) N-acetylcysteine alone; (ii) a combination of nutraceuticals; (iii) or placebo (in addition to treatment as usual) for 16 weeks (＋4 weeks discontinuation)...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There is a large evidence base of clinical trials that have investigated the efficacy of a range of nutraceuticals on mood disorders. The aim of the current review is to provide an update regarding the efficacy and safety of nutraceutical agents in mood disorders and to highlight considerations for future research. RECENT FINDINGS: Nutraceuticals such as omega-3, probiotics, zinc, saffron and curcumin have been recommended as adjunctive interventions to standard treatments for people with depression, while St John's wort has been recommended as a monotherapy...

OBJECTIVE: There is often a shortfall in recovery following treatment for an episode of bipolar disorder (BD). Exploration of participant's experience provides vital information to enhance statistical outcomes for novel therapy trials. This study used mixed-methods to explore participants' experience of a trial testing N -acetyl cysteine (NAC) and mitochondrially active nutraceuticals for BD depression. CASE: report forms from a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of BD depression (n = 148) were analysed using a pragmatic adaption of grounded theory and thematic analysis...

OBJECTIVES: The therapeutic use of nutrient-based 'nutraceuticals' and plant-based 'phytoceuticals' for the treatment of mental disorders is common; however, despite recent research progress, there have not been any updated global clinical guidelines since 2015. To address this, the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) and the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Disorders (CANMAT) convened an international taskforce involving 31 leading academics and clinicians from 15 countries, between 2019 and 2021...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 1 in 5 women of reproductive age, and is characterized by menstrual irregularities, clinical or biochemical hyperandrogenism, and the presence of polycystic ovary morphology. One of the recommended treatment strategies in the international evidence-based guidelines is lifestyle modification, which includes diet and exercise, with the aim of improving a range of health outcomes. The incurable nature of PCOS reinforces the importance of developing novel and innovative symptomatic relief strategies, which are currently the only available approaches for improving quality of life for these women...

Pharmacotherapy is the conventional treatment for depression, with only half of the patients responding to the first trial of monotherapy with first-line medicines. One way to overcome this resistance is to use complementary and alternative medicine. The antidepressant effects of Lavandula angustifolia , which is commonly called lavender, have been investigated in previous studies. This study aims to provide the first systematic review of lavender in treating patients with depression diagnosis. ISI Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and three trial registries were searched until May 2020 to find randomized controlled trials on lavender for depressed patients...

BACKGROUND: Certain nutrient supplements (nutraceuticals) may target neurobiological pathways perturbed in bipolar disorder (BD) such as inflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Nutraceuticals thus may have a potential role as adjunctive treatments for BD. METHODS: A search of Embase via embase.com, PubMed via PubMed, Cumulated index to nursing and allied health literature (CINAHL) Complete via EBSCO, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Clinical Trials via cochranelibrary...

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to evaluate changes in inflammatory and oxidative stress levels following treatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or mitochondrial-enhancing agents (CT), and to assess the how these changes may predict and/or moderate clinical outcomes primarily the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). METHODS: This study involved secondary analysis of a placebo-controlled randomised trial (n = 163). Serum samples were collected at baseline and week 16 of the clinical trial to determine changes in Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) following adjunctive CT and/or NAC treatment, and to explore the predictability of the outcome or moderator effects of these markers...

BACKGROUND: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic and disabling psychiatric disorder. The treatment of BD still remains a significant clinical challenge due to the complex nature of the disease. Nutraceutical therapy as adjunctive role is a promising therapy for BD. Sulforaphane (SFN), a broccoli extract, was reported to be effective for emotional problems and cognitive impairment. However, clinical research of SFN in the treatment of BD was rare. Therefore, this study is designed to evaluate the adjuvant role of SFN in the treatment of BD...

Schizophrenia is a severe brain disorder that is associated with neurodevelopmental insults, such as prenatal inflammation, that introduce redox-immune-inflammatory alterations and risk for psychotic symptoms later in life. Nutraceuticals may offer useful adjunctive benefits. The aim of this study was to examine the therapeutic effects of Garcinia mangostana Linn (GML) and one of its active constituents, α-mangostin (AM), alone and as adjunctive treatment with haloperidol (HAL) on schizophrenia related bio-behavioral alterations in a maternal immune-activation (MIA) model...

OBJECTIVES: Individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) generally engage in low levels of physical activity (PA), and yet few studies have investigated the relationship between PA and change in BD symptom severity. The aim of this subanalysis of an adjunctive nutraceutical randomized controlled trial for the treatment of bipolar depression was to explore the relationship between PA, the active adjunctive treatments (a nutraceutical "mitochondrial cocktail"), and clinical outcomes. METHODS: Participants with bipolar depression were randomized to receive N -acetylcysteine alone, N -acetylcysteine with a combination of nutraceuticals (chosen for the potential to increase mitochondrial activity), or placebo for 16 weeks...

BACKGROUND: Due to the considerable burden of multiple sclerosis (MS)-related symptoms and the need to identify effective interventions to prevent disease progression, various nutraceutical interventions have been trialed as adjunctive treatments. The aim of this review was to investigate the efficacy and safety of nutraceutical interventions for clinical and biological outcomes in people with MS. METHODS: In accordance with PRISMA reporting guidelines, a systematic literature search was conducted using three electronic literature databases...

AIMS: We aimed to explore the relationships between diet quality, dietary inflammatory potential or body mass index and outcomes of a clinical trial of nutraceutical treatment for bipolar depression. METHODS: This is a sub-study of a randomised controlled trial of participants with bipolar depression who provided dietary intake data ( n  = 133). Participants received 16 weeks adjunctive treatment of either placebo or N -acetylcysteine-alone or a combination of mitochondrial-enhancing nutraceuticals including N -acetylcysteine (combination treatment)...

Psychological and pharmacological interventions are the most common treatments for adult depression. While these interventions have robust evidence supporting their efficacy, there remain up to 60 percent of individuals who do not respond to treatment, or only partially respond. Unfortunately, efforts at improving outcome rates from new or modified versions of psychological or pharmacological interventions have been disappointing. It is argued that increased treatment efficacy for depression may be achieved by utilising integrative or adjunctive treatments...

BACKGROUND: Nutraceuticals are a group of compounds of growing interest for mental health professionals. Given the implication of certain nutrients in the onset of bipolar disorder, it has been hypothesized that nutraceuticals might be effective in improving symptoms of the condition (i.e. mania or depression). Our systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of adjunctive nutraceuticals compared to placebo. METHODS: We searched the following databases from inception to February 2019: Web of Science, CINAHL, Embase, and PsycINFO...

INTRODUCTION: First line pharmacological treatments for bipolar disorder (BD) can leave shortfalls in recovery leading to patients seeking alternative and adjunctive treatments such as nutraceuticals. This protocol for a systematic review and proposed meta-analysis aims to answer the research question: in patients with BD, how does use of nutraceutical treatments compare with placebo in reducing depressive and mania symptoms? METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Clinical trials will be identified through database searches using PubMed via PubMed, EMBASE via embase...

BACKGROUND: A phasic dysregulation of mitochondrial bioenergetics may operate in bipolar disorder, increased in mania and decreased in depression. We aimed to examine efficacy of two add-on treatments in bipolar depression: N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and NAC with a combination of nutraceutical agents that may increase mitochondrial biogenesis. METHODS: A three-arm 16-week, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial, adjunctive to usual treatment, was conducted...