Effects Of Green Tea Intake To Improve The Quality Of Treatment For Depression In General Practice: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

ObjectiveIn our previous study, we have found that green tea intake was associated with a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms in the community-dwelling older population. However, the potential beneficial effects were not evaluated in depression patients. The aim of this study was to determine whether green tea intake had beneficial effects on the quality of treatment for depression. MethodsThirty-three subjects(16 males and 17 females) enrolled into this double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled study of psychiatric outpatients from Dagang hospital received green tea 3g/d(Group 1) or green tea 1.5g/d(Group 2) or placebo(Group 3). The depression and anxiety were evaluated by using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression(HAMD), Beck Depression Inventory-II(BDI-II), Patient Health Questionnaire-9(PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7(GAD-7). Data through 3 months are reported for all subjects(efficacy, intention-to-treat(ITT) analysis with last-observation-carried-forward for missing data and non-responder imputation for unsatisfactory efficacy discontinuations). ResultsThe dropout rate was 6.0%. In the ITT analyses, when males and females were combined, the means(95% CI) of change in depression and anxiety scales for high-does groups vs low-does vs placebo are: HAMD,-3.50(-8.81, 1.81) vs-5.00(-10.94, 0.94) vs-0.77(-5.43, 3.89)(P = 0.49); BDI,-0.60(-4.72, 3.52) vs-5.25(-9.85,-0.65) vs 1.33(-2.42, 5.09)(P = 0.09); PHQ, 0.50(-2.18, 3.18) vs-3.00(-6.00, 0.00) vs 1.42(-1.03, 3.87)(P = 0.07); GAD, 0.10(-2.56, 2.76) vs-0.63(-3.60, 2.35) vs 0.85(-1.49, 3.18)(P = 0.73), respectively. Similar results also observed in the pre protocol-based analyses. When high-does groups were excluded, the means(95% CI) of change in depression and anxiety scales for low-does vs placebo are: HAMD,-5.00(-10.94, 0.94) vs-0.77(-5.43, 3.89)(P = 0.39); BDI,-5.25(-9.85,-0.65) vs 1.33(-2.42, 5.09)(P = 0.054); PHQ,-3.00(-6.00, 0.00) vs 1.42(-1.03, 3.87)(P = 0.04); GAD,-0.63(-3.60, 2.35) vs 0.85(-1.49, 3.18)(P = 0.47), respectively. ConclusionThese finding suggested that low-does(1.5g/d) green tea intake had a beneficial effect on the quality of treatment for depression outpaients in general practice.