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Use of Omega‐3 Fatty Acid Supplements Has Insufficient Clinical Evidence for Treatment of Hypertriglyceridemia: A Meta‐Analysis of Randomized, Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Trials
Author(s) -
Nam Gina E.,
Myung SeungKwon,
Choi YoonJung
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
european journal of lipid science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.614
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1438-9312
pISSN - 1438-7697
DOI - 10.1002/ejlt.201700111
Subject(s) - meta analysis , placebo , randomized controlled trial , medicine , dyslipidemia , subgroup analysis , omega 3 fatty acid , cochrane library , confidence interval , fatty acid , clinical trial , hypertriglyceridemia , triglyceride , gastroenterology , docosahexaenoic acid , polyunsaturated fatty acid , cholesterol , chemistry , biochemistry , pathology , alternative medicine , disease
Omega‐3 fatty acid supplements have been used to treat dyslipidemia. However, there is no comprehensive meta‐analysis of randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trials that encompasses a broad range of populations with or without underlying diseases regarding their efficacy. PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched for trials in June 2016. A pooled weighted mean difference with its 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated using a random‐effect meta‐analysis. A total of 58 trials were included in the final analysis. Compared with placebos, omega‐3 fatty acid supplements significantly reduced triglyceride (TG) levels by 38.59 mg dL −1 (95%CI, −47.16 to −30.02 mg dL −1 ; n = 53). In the subgroup meta‐analysis, the beneficial effects on TG levels were dose‐dependent up to 3.9 g of omega‐3 fatty acid supplements daily and were greater at higher baseline TG levels. However, there existed substantial heterogeneity in the main and subgroup meta‐analyses, overall methodological quality of included trials were low, and about 70% of the included trials had a small sample size less than 100 participants. The current meta‐analysis of randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trials suggests that there is no sufficient clinical evidence to support the use of omega‐3 fatty acid supplements for the prevention or treatment of dyslipidemia. Practical Applications : Further large, high‐quality randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trials with a long‐term follow‐up are warranted to confirm the clinical efficacy of omega‐3 fatty acid supplements on lipid profiles management. The meta‐analysis of 53 randomized, double‐blind , placebo‐controlled trials shows a beneficial effect of omega‐3 fatty acid supplements such as EPA and DHA on triglyceride levels. However, there exists substantial heterogeneity in the main and subgroup meta‐analyses, overall methodological quality of includes trials was low, and about 70% of the include trials has a small sample size less than 100 participants. WMD, weighted mean difference; CI, confidence interval.