Effect of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on cardio-metabolic and oxidative stress parameters in patients with chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) have been suggested as a beneficial supplement in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, but the results of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are controversial. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate all the RCTs about the impact of omega-3 FAs supplementation on cardiometabolic outcomes and oxidative stress parameters in patients with CKD. METHODS: We performed a systematic database search in PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central, up to May 2020. We included all placebo-controlled randomized trials that assessed the effect of omega-3 FAs supplementation on any cardiometabolic outcomes: blood pressure, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or triglycerides (TG) and oxidative stress parameters. Data were pooled using DerSimonian–Laird’s random-effects model. RESULTS: Finally, thirteen articles met the inclusion criteria for this review omega-3 FAs supplementation significantly decrease TC (SMD: -0.26; 95% CI: − 0.51, − 0.02; I(2) = 52.7%), TG (SMD: -0.22; 95% CI: − 0.43, − 0.02; I(2) = 36.0%) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (SMD: -0.91; 95% CI: − 1.29, − 0.54; I(2) = 00.0%) and also significantly increase superoxide dismutase (SOD) (SMD: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.27, 0.90; I(2) = 00.0%) and Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) (SMD: 0.50; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.86; I(2) = 00.0%) activities. However our results show that omega-3 FAs supplementation have no significant effects on HDL, LDL and blood pressure. Conclusion This systematic review and meta-analysis supports current evidence for the clinical benefit of omega-3 FAs intake to improve cardiometabolic parameters in CKD patients. However, well-designed RCTs still needed to provide a conclusive picture in this field. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12882-021-02351-9.