Tier 1 — highest

Efficacy of N-acetylcysteine for patients with depression: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis

Tzu-Rong Peng, Hung-Hong Lin, Tzu-Ling Tseng, Yun-Hui Huang, Pei-Yun Tsai, Chia-Yu Lin, Ming-Chia Lee, Shih-Ming Chen
Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2024 91:151-159

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 39504621
DOI
10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2024.10.018
Funding
Funding disclosure was not located in the indexed record reviewed; consult the source publication for the full funding statement.
Competing interests
Competing-interest disclosure was not located in the indexed record reviewed; consult the source publication for the full declaration.

Study snapshot

DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
ModelHuman
Sample12 studies; 904 patients
InterventionAdjunctive NAC 1,000 to 3,000 mg/day versus placebo/control
Duration8 to 24 weeks
EndpointsDepression symptom scores

What the study showed, in plain terms

Updated meta-analysis pooling NAC trials across psychiatric populations with depressive symptoms.

Key findings

NAC produced a small average reduction in depression scores, but the effect was modest and uncertainty remains.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Mixed diagnoses, doses and durations; a statistically significant pooled symptom effect does not establish NAC as a stand-alone antidepressant.

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology