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Dietary counseling plus omega-3 supplementation in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder: results of a randomized wait-list controlled pilot trial (the ‘EASe-GAD Trial’)
Clinical evidence indicates that nutrition interventions can significantly alleviate symptoms of major depressive disorder, but their impact on anxiety symptoms in individuals with anxiety disorders remains underexplored. Assessing the viability and acceptability of a nutrition interventions was the main objective of this study by Aucoin et al. (2024). Secondary objectives included assessing gains in biomarkers, self-efficacy, mindful eating, diet quality, anxiety severity, and quality of life. In this randomized, wait-list controlled pilot study, 50 adult women with generalized anxiety disorder received omega-3 supplements and nutritional counseling every two weeks for 12 weeks. Questionnaires and blood tests were administered at baseline, after the waiting period, and following the intervention. Over an eight-month period, 443 individuals expressed interest, and 50 met the enrollment criteria. Participants attended 6.4 sessions on average. Forty-six people filled out the final surveys. Of the participants, 84% strongly agreed that their study experience was positive. The intervention group’s mean anxiety severity score dropped from 26.2 at baseline to 11.0 at week 12. Diet quality improved from a mean score of 7.2 at baseline to 10.5 at week 12. For the waitlist group, anxiety scores slightly decreased from 29.3 at baseline to 26.8 at week 12. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the intervention was feasible and acceptable, with participation linked to reduced anxiety symptoms. [NPID: Diet therapy, nutrition therapy, omega-3 fatty acids, anxiety disorders, anxiety, mental health, psychiatry, nutrition, diet counseling]
Year: 2024
