BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is a complex and debilitating psychiatric disorder, whose primary pharmacological intervention is the use of antipsychotics. There is, however, growing evidence that dietary supplementation with omega 3 fatty acids (n-3) may be beneficial in several psychiatric conditions. OBJECTIVE: To review the efficacy of n-3 as a treatment for schizophrenia. METHODS: Electronic searches of the following databases were performed: Medline, Lilacs e SciELO. The search strategy also included cited reference searching. All relevant randomized controlled trials were included in the review. RESULTS: To date, five out of six randomized, double-blind, and placebo controlled studies obtained improvement in the symptoms of the psychosis. Besides, an advantage in the intake of eicosapentaenoic fatty acid (EPA) in relation to docosahexaenoic fatty acid was designated. Essentially, the intake of 2 g/day of EPA in addition to the standard medication was effective in decreasing the symptoms of schizophrenia. DISCUSSION: The nutritional therapy with EPA revealed to be useful as coadjutant in the treatment of schizophrenia. Therefore, we suggest that the schizophrenic patients should be encouraged to consume balanced and healthy meals rich in EPA and, if the ideal amount is not reached by the diet, the supplementation is likely to be beneficial.
Schizophrenia; nutrition; eicosapentaeinoic acid; omega 3 fatty acid; treatment
