Anti-inflammatory interventions for the treatment and prevention of depression among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract Recent evidence from clinical and animal studies with anti-inflammatory agents in depression is conflicting. One possible reason is the heterogeneity of baseline inflammation levels. Since older adults are generally associated with chronic low-grade inflammation and depression is one of the...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Publishing Group
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Translational Psychiatry |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-025-03317-3 |
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| author | Hong Gong Wen-Jun Su Shi-Long Deng Jing Luo Zhu-Lin Du Yi Luo Ke-Yi Lv Dong-Mei Zhu Xiao-Tang Fan |
| author_facet | Hong Gong Wen-Jun Su Shi-Long Deng Jing Luo Zhu-Lin Du Yi Luo Ke-Yi Lv Dong-Mei Zhu Xiao-Tang Fan |
| author_sort | Hong Gong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Recent evidence from clinical and animal studies with anti-inflammatory agents in depression is conflicting. One possible reason is the heterogeneity of baseline inflammation levels. Since older adults are generally associated with chronic low-grade inflammation and depression is one of the most common mental disorders in this population, this meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the therapeutic and preventative effects of anti-inflammatory interventions for depression among older adults. PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and PsycINFO were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) up to November 18, 2024. The primary outcomes were mean change scores of depression scores and incidences of depression after treatment. Pooled standard mean differences (SMDs) and odds ratios (ORs) including 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. Of 3116 screened articles, 31 RCTs met the inclusion criteria, with 25 studies investigating efficacy and 7 studies investigating the incidence following anti-inflammatory treatment. Anti-inflammatory interventions were statistically significantly more effective than placebo in reducing depressive scores for older adults with depression (SMD = −0.57, 95% CI = −0.98 to −0.15, p = 0.008). Sub-group analyses supported the use of omega-3 fatty acids (SMD = −0.14, 95% CI = −0.27 to −0.02, p = 0.03) and botanical drug or dietary intervention (SMD = −0.86, 95% CI = −1.58 to −0.13, p = 0.02) among older participants. While limited by substantial heterogeneity among included studies, these results reveal the moderate beneficial effects of anti-inflammatory interventions for the treatment and prevention of depression among older adults. Future high-quality RCTs are warranted to determine which anti-inflammatory interventions are most preferential for older patients with depression. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c92bb9918bf9455daa83a07624edce14 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2158-3188 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Translational Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-c92bb9918bf9455daa83a07624edce142025-08-20T01:54:30ZengNature Publishing GroupTranslational Psychiatry2158-31882025-04-0115111510.1038/s41398-025-03317-3Anti-inflammatory interventions for the treatment and prevention of depression among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysisHong Gong0Wen-Jun Su1Shi-Long Deng2Jing Luo3Zhu-Lin Du4Yi Luo5Ke-Yi Lv6Dong-Mei Zhu7Xiao-Tang Fan8Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University)Department of Stress Medicine, Faculty of Psychology, Naval Medical UniversityDepartment of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University)Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University)Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University)Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University)Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University)Department of Hospital Infection Control, Chongqing Health Center for Women and ChildrenDepartment of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University)Abstract Recent evidence from clinical and animal studies with anti-inflammatory agents in depression is conflicting. One possible reason is the heterogeneity of baseline inflammation levels. Since older adults are generally associated with chronic low-grade inflammation and depression is one of the most common mental disorders in this population, this meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the therapeutic and preventative effects of anti-inflammatory interventions for depression among older adults. PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and PsycINFO were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) up to November 18, 2024. The primary outcomes were mean change scores of depression scores and incidences of depression after treatment. Pooled standard mean differences (SMDs) and odds ratios (ORs) including 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. Of 3116 screened articles, 31 RCTs met the inclusion criteria, with 25 studies investigating efficacy and 7 studies investigating the incidence following anti-inflammatory treatment. Anti-inflammatory interventions were statistically significantly more effective than placebo in reducing depressive scores for older adults with depression (SMD = −0.57, 95% CI = −0.98 to −0.15, p = 0.008). Sub-group analyses supported the use of omega-3 fatty acids (SMD = −0.14, 95% CI = −0.27 to −0.02, p = 0.03) and botanical drug or dietary intervention (SMD = −0.86, 95% CI = −1.58 to −0.13, p = 0.02) among older participants. While limited by substantial heterogeneity among included studies, these results reveal the moderate beneficial effects of anti-inflammatory interventions for the treatment and prevention of depression among older adults. Future high-quality RCTs are warranted to determine which anti-inflammatory interventions are most preferential for older patients with depression.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-025-03317-3 |
| spellingShingle | Hong Gong Wen-Jun Su Shi-Long Deng Jing Luo Zhu-Lin Du Yi Luo Ke-Yi Lv Dong-Mei Zhu Xiao-Tang Fan Anti-inflammatory interventions for the treatment and prevention of depression among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis Translational Psychiatry |
| title | Anti-inflammatory interventions for the treatment and prevention of depression among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_full | Anti-inflammatory interventions for the treatment and prevention of depression among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_fullStr | Anti-inflammatory interventions for the treatment and prevention of depression among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Anti-inflammatory interventions for the treatment and prevention of depression among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_short | Anti-inflammatory interventions for the treatment and prevention of depression among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_sort | anti inflammatory interventions for the treatment and prevention of depression among older adults a systematic review and meta analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-025-03317-3 |
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