Skip to main content
NUTRITION 2024 Main banner
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Back

Session: Nutrition and the Brain: Insights from Molecular Mechanisms to Clinical Applications (Poster Theater Flash Session 7)

(PTFS07-02-24) Seizure Amelioration Effect of Omega-3 EPA and DHA Fatty Acid Supplementation on Patients With Drug Resistant Epilepsy: A Scoping Review Using the GOED Clinical Study Database

Sunday, June 30, 2024
12:04 PM – 12:08 PM CT
Location:  Hall F1 (The Hub) - Poster Theater

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Nada R. Abuknesha, PhD (she/her/hers)

    Research Assistant
    Global Organisation of EPA and DHA Omega-3 (GOED)
    London, England, United Kingdom

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

    • Co-Author(s)

  • AS

    Andrew J. Searle, PhD

    London Metropolitan University
    London, United Kingdom

Objectives: 70% of patients with epilepsy are successfully treated with one or a combination of anti-seizure medications (ASMs). The latter 30%, do not respond to ASMs and continue to have uncontrollable seizures. They are known to have drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). There is an unmet need for non-pharmacological treatment options to be considered. The objective of this scoping review is to assess the seizure amelioration effect of omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs): eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids on patients with DRE from randomized human clinical trials (RCTs).

Methods: The Global Organization for EPA & DHA Omega-3s (GOED) Clinical Study Database was used as the primary search tool to generate a list of RCTs using the following terms: seizures, seizure severity, drug resistant epilepsy, refractory epilepsy, and intractable epilepsy. Subsequently, PubMed and Google Scholar English databases were searched for publications using the additional keywords: eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid.

Results: Eleven RCTs published before October 2023 were included in this review. EPA and DHA formulations administered to patients ranged between 0.3-2.9g/day, with 90.9% of RCTs investigating the fatty acids at a comparable ratio. A supplementation period of 3 months or less was employed by 72.7% of RCTs. 54.5% of RCTs reported a positive outcome of at least 50% or more significant reduction in seizure frequency compared to placebo or baseline. 27.2% of RCTs reported significant seizure freedom in patients during or at the end of the supplementation period, compared to placebo. Positive outcomes regarding seizure severity remain inconsistent with only 18.1% of RCTs reporting a significant reduction compared to placebo or baseline.

Conclusions: N-3 EPA and DHA have the potential to be a simple add-on treatment intervention for the management of uncontrollable seizures in DRE. Additional RCTs are required to determine the optimal dosage for patients, the effect of long-term treatment duration and separately enriched preparations of EPA/DHA on seizure frequency and severity.

Funding Sources: This review was supported by the 'GOED Clinical Study Database Research Award’ of which I was 1 of 3 global recipients in 2023.