Omega-3 improves sleep quality, mood disorders in breast cancer patients on hormone therapy: Study

Isfahan, Iran: Omega-3 supplementation in patients with breast cancer may improve symptoms of sleep and mood disorders related to hormone therapy, reveals a recent study in the journal Research Square. It was shown to improve sleep quality in terms of sleep disturbance, subjective sleep quality, sleep delay, sleep disturbance, and subjective sleep quality. 

Estrogen-receptor inhibitors are used in the treatment of breast cancer and are shown to be associated with long-term side effects, including night sweats, hot flashes, and changes to mood and sleep. Considering this, Behzad Nourosi, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran, and the team aimed to investigate the effect of omega-3 on the treatment of mood and sleep disorder induced by menopausal complications due to hormone therapy in breast cancer patients in a placebo, double-blind and controlled trial. 

Firstly, 60 patients were screened by the anxiety and depression scale (HADS) of Omid Hospital, Isfahan, Iran, for any baseline mood disorders. They were then divided into either intervention group who had received 2 grams omega-3 daily for 4 weeks or an identical placebo. The patients were then considered to assess by the center for epidemiological studies-depression scale (CES-D), Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), and profile of mood states (POMS) questionnaires at the baseline and after 4-week follow-up.