Benefits of fish oil supplementation in hyperlipidemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background Fish oils have been widely reported as a useful supplement to reduce fasting blood triglyceride levels in individuals with hyperlipidemia. We performed an updated meta-analysis to quantitatively evaluate all the randomized trials of fish oils in hyperlipidemic subjects. Methods We conducted a systematic literature search using several electronic databases supplemented by manual searches of published reference lists, review articles and conference abstracts. We included all placebo-controlled randomized trials of parallel design that evaluated any of the main blood lipid outcomes: total, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol or triglycerides (TG). Data were pooled using DerSimonian–Laird's random effects model. Results The final analysis comprised of 47 studies in otherwise untreated subjects showed that taking fish oils (weighted average daily intake of 3.25 g of EPA and/or DHA) produced a clinically significant reduction of TG (− 0.34 mmol/L, 95% CI: − 0.41 to − 0.27), no change in total cholesterol (− 0.01 mmol/L, 95% CI: − 0.03 to 0.01) and very slight increases in HDL (0.01 mmol/L, 95% CI: 0.00 to 0.02) and LDL cholesterol (0.06 mmol/L, 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.09). The reduction of TG correlated with both EPA + DHA intake and initial TG level. Conclusion Fish oil supplementation produces a clinically significant dose-dependent reduction of fasting blood TG but not total, HDL or LDL cholesterol in hyperlipidemic subjects.