World Nutrition Journal
Vol. 7 No. i2 (2024): Volume 07 Issue 2, February 2024

The impact of omega-3 on recurrent seizures in epileptic patients: A case study with evidence-based approaches

Nadiyah Wijayanthie (Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia - Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia and Universitas Indonesia Hospital)
Wiji Lestari (Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia - Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia and Universitas Indonesia Hospital)



Article Info

Publish Date
29 Feb 2024

Abstract

Background: Epileptogenesis is also associated with increased production of excessive pro-inflammatory cytokines” which shows connection between pro-inflammatory cytokines as triggering factor with omega-3 which has anti-inflammatory effect. Omega-3, known for its neuroprotective and anticonvulsant properties, exhibits promising effects on epileptic seizure attacks. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of omega-3 supplementation on the incidence of seizures in epilepsy patients. Methods: This study used a literature search using advanced queries in the databases PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, and Cochrane Library, and combined MeSH terms with Title/Abstract. The collected literature is discarded if there are duplicates, then literature is filtered that meets the eligibility criteria. We used the Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine as a means of critical appraisal and determining the level of evidence of the selected literature. Results: Four chosen literatures were critically assessed. Two articles indicating no significant difference between omega-3 and placebo and two articles showed had a significantly higher number of seizure-free days than placebo. The first article, involving 78 adults, reported a 50% reduction in seizure risk with a frequency RR of 0.57, 95% CI 0.19 to 1.75 (IS = 0%) indicating no significant difference between omega-3 and placebo groups after 12 weeks of treatment. The second study, comprising mostly non-significant findings, demonstrated no significant correlation between omega-3 and epilepsy attacks in epilepsy patients. The third literature revealed seizure occurrences per month in the EPA group (9.7±1.2), DHA group (11.7±1.5), and placebo group (16.6±1.5). Incidence rate ratio (IRR) adjusted for seizure type in EPA and DHA groups compared to the placebo group were 0.61 (CI = 0.42–0.88, p = 0.008, a 42% reduction) and 0.67 (CI = 0.46–1.0, p = 0.04, a 39% reduction), respectively. Both treatment groups had a significantly higher number of seizure-free days compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05). The fourth study reported intervention group frequency (4.72 ± 1.6, p= 0.014) and placebo frequency (11.64 ± 1.63, p=0.014) with intervention group seizure duration (6.64 ± 1.39, p=0.009) compared to placebo group (14.36 ± 2.18, p=0.009). Conclusion: Omega-3 supplementation may be considered for management in patients with recurrent epileptic seizures, although its effect on reducing seizure frequency remains inconsistent.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

WNJ

Publisher

Subject

Medicine & Pharmacology Public Health

Description

World Nutrition Journal was founded in 2016 as the official journal of Indonesian Nutrition Association. It aims to publish high quality articles in the field of community, clinical, and critical care aspects of nutrition sciences. World Nutrition Journal (abbreviated: W Nutr J) is an English ...