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Oral fish oil supplementation is efficacious and well tolerated in chronic hemodialysis patients: a pilot study
Author(s) -
Saifullah Akber,
Moe Sharon M,
Saha Chandan,
Li Yong,
Watkins Bruce A,
Friedman Allon N
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.5.a696-b
Subject(s) - fish oil , placebo , medicine , polyunsaturated fatty acid , population , hemodialysis , randomized controlled trial , zoology , physiology , fish <actinopterygii> , biology , fishery , biochemistry , fatty acid , environmental health , alternative medicine , pathology
Hemodialysis patients may obtain clinical benefit from supplementing the fish oil‐derived long chain n‐3 PUFA, EPA (20:5n3) and DHA (22:6n3), particularly given our previous observations that this population consumes inadequate fish and has suboptimal red blood cell (RBC) n‐3 PUFA levels. We tested the hypothesis that supplementing these patients over 12 wks with modest fish oil doses (~ 1 g fish oil daily AHA) would be efficacious in boosting RBC n‐3 levels by performing a randomized, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind study in an urban American hemodialysis population. 12 subjects were randomized to 1.3 g fish oil or placebo (corn/soybean oil) in a ratio of 2:1 (i.e. 8:4). 75% of subjects consumed one or less fish servings a week. Baseline EPA and DHA RBC levels were relatively low at 0.29 ± 0.24 and 3.2 ± 2.2 (mean ± SD), respectively. Post‐supplementation EPA and DHA RBC levels were dramatically increased in the fish oil group [% EPA change (fish oil vs placebo): +395 vs −27, p = 0.004; % DHA change: +160 vs −27, p = 0.008]. Four subjects in the fish oil group noted minor side effects (primarily gastrointestinal). Plasma levels of n‐3 PUFA were consistent with the RBC data. Our finding suggests that supplementation of these patients with fish oil boosts tissue n‐3 PUFA levels and is generally well‐tolerated. These findings must be examined in a larger population on clinical outcomes.