Omega-3 Supplementation Modulates Whole-Blood EPA and DHA Without Improving Patient-Reported Outcomes in Youth with Migraine: A Quasi-Randomized Pilot Trial.

Nutrients published a quasi-randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot from the University of North Carolina. Fifty-seven children and adolescents aged 10-17 with migraine received daily omega-3 (340 mg EPA + 510 mg DHA) or coconut oil placebo for 12 weeks; 44 completed. The omega-3 index rose more in the treatment group (adjusted mean difference 1.64, 95% CI 0.94-2.35, p < 0.001), and omega-6/omega-3 and AA/EPA ratios fell. No patient-reported outcome improved: pain intensity, pain interference, migraine-related disability and psychological distress all showed no significant between-group difference. The study is a proof-of-concept biomarker trial in a pediatric migraine population, not a longevity trial. Its value here is dose honesty: 850 mg/day combined EPA plus DHA reliably moves blood levels, but a moved biomarker did not translate into reported benefit in 12 weeks.

Omega-3 PUFA supplementation significantly altered lipid biomarker profiles in youth with migraine over 12 weeks, supporting a measurable whole-blood EPA + DHA response in this proof-of-concept trial. Future larger-scale trials with longer duration are needed to evaluate clinical effects.