Omega-3 in the Subjective Betterment of Mood and Sleep Disturbances Induced by Hormone Therapy in Women with Breast Cancer: A Pilot, Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: This study was performed to investigate the effect of omega-3 administration on the treatment of mood and sleep problem induced by menopausal complications due to hormone therapy in patients with breast cancer. Methods and Patients: A pilot, randomized, double-blinded and placebo-controlled clinical trial was designed in oncology-hematology outpatient’s clinic of Omid Hospital, Isfahan, Iran. First, 60 patients were screened by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for any non-identified baseline mood problems and then divided into either intervention group which received 2 g’ omega-3 daily for 4 weeks or placebo group which received identical supplement. Then, the patients were considered to assess by center for epidemiological studies—depression scale (CES-D), profile of mood states (POMS), and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) questionnaires at the baseline and after 4-week follow-up. Results: The mean scores of CES-D (P = 0.002), POMS (P = 0.03), and PSQI (P = 0.04) were significantly lower in the intervention group than the control group. In the intervention group, mean scores of CES-D (P < 0.001), POMS (P < 0.001), and PSQI (P = 0.003) were significantly lower after intervention than pre-intervention. Mean changes in scores of CES-D (P = 0.01), POMS (P = 0.001), and PSQI (P = 0.02) were significantly higher in the intervention group than the control group. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that omega-3 supplementation have the potential to reduce mood problems complications induced by hormone therapy in breast cancer patients, and it could also improve sleep quality items in terms of subjective sleep quality, delay in falling asleep, sleep delay, and sleep disturbance. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.