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

Abstract

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 (95% CI, -47.16 to -30.02 mg/dL; 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 was 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.

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