Keiko Kurosawa1, Takeshi Terao2, Masayuki Kanehisa1, Ippei Shiotsuki1, Nobuyoshi Ishii3, Ryuichi Takenaka4, Teruo Sakamoto4, Takehisa Matsukawa5, Kazuhito Yokoyama5, Shuntaro Ando6, Atsushi Nishida7, Yutaka Matsuoka8. 1. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Oita, Japan; Advanced Trauma, Emergency and Critical Care Center, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Oita, Japan. 2. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Oita, Japan. Electronic address: terao@oita-u.ac.jp. 3. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Oita, Japan. 4. Advanced Trauma, Emergency and Critical Care Center, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Oita, Japan. 5. Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan. 6. Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo University, Tokyo, Japan. 7. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan. 8. Division of Health Care Research, Center for Public Health Science, National Cancer Center Japan, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have investigated the effects of omega-3, omega-6 and lithium on suicide-related behaviors separately. This study was performed to comprehensively investigate the effects of naturally absorbed EPA, DHA, arachidonic acid and lithium in relation to suicide attempt and deliberate self-harm, with adjustment for each other. METHODS: We analyzed plasma EPA, DHA, arachidonic acid levels and serum lithium levels of 197 patients including 33 patients with suicide attempts, 18 patients with deliberate self-harm, and 146 control patients. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age, gender, EPA, DHA, arachidonic acid and log-transformed lithium levels revealed that the negative associations with EPA levels (adjusted OR 0.972, 95% CI 0.947-0.997, p = 0.031) and log-transformed lithium levels (adjusted OR 0.156, 95% CI 0.038-0.644, p = 0.01) and the positive association with DHA levels (adjusted OR 1.026, 95% CI 1.010-1.043, p = 0.002) were significant in patients with suicide attempts than in control patients. The analysis also demonstrated that the positive association with arachidonic acid levels (adjusted OR 1.015, 95% CI 1.005-1.025, p = 0.004) was significant in patients with deliberate self-harm than in control patients. LIMITATIONS: The limitations are relatively small number of patients and the effects of demographics of individual patients could not be adjusted for the analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that, as naturally absorbed nutrients, higher EPA and lithium levels may be associated with less suicide attempt, and that higher arachidonic acid levels may be associated with more deliberate self-harm.
OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have investigated the effects of omega-3, omega-6 and lithium on suicide-related behaviors separately. This study was performed to comprehensively investigate the effects of naturally absorbed EPA, DHA, arachidonic acid and lithium in relation to suicide attempt and deliberate self-harm, with adjustment for each other. METHODS: We analyzed plasma EPA, DHA, arachidonic acid levels and serum lithium levels of 197 patients including 33 patients with suicide attempts, 18 patients with deliberate self-harm, and 146 control patients. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age, gender, EPA, DHA, arachidonic acid and log-transformed lithium levels revealed that the negative associations with EPA levels (adjusted OR 0.972, 95% CI 0.947-0.997, p = 0.031) and log-transformed lithium levels (adjusted OR 0.156, 95% CI 0.038-0.644, p = 0.01) and the positive association with DHA levels (adjusted OR 1.026, 95% CI 1.010-1.043, p = 0.002) were significant in patients with suicide attempts than in control patients. The analysis also demonstrated that the positive association with arachidonic acid levels (adjusted OR 1.015, 95% CI 1.005-1.025, p = 0.004) was significant in patients with deliberate self-harm than in control patients. LIMITATIONS: The limitations are relatively small number of patients and the effects of demographics of individual patients could not be adjusted for the analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that, as naturally absorbed nutrients, higher EPA and lithium levels may be associated with less suicide attempt, and that higher arachidonic acid levels may be associated with more deliberate self-harm.