Research paper
Effect of omega-three supplementation on serum urate and gout flares in people with gout; a pilot randomized trial
Study answer
What this study found
Omega-3 fish oil did not significantly lower serum urate or change weight/BMI over 24 weeks. In the omega-3 group, serum urate changed by -0.021 (0.02) mmol/l versus -0.006 (0.02) mmol/l in controls, with a between-group mean difference of 0.015 (95% CI -0.07 to 0.04) mmol/l (p = 0.59). Gout flares were also not significantly different overall, although higher red cell omega-3 concentrations were associated with fewer flares between weeks 12 and 24. The supplement was associated with gastrointestinal adverse effects in 4 participants, while two serious adverse events occurred in the control…
- Study & population
- This was a pilot randomized trial in adults with gout and elevated serum urate in New Zealand.
- Intervention
- The active regimen was oral Melrose fish oil, 20 ml daily, providing a total of 6.2 g omega-3 fatty acids for 24 weeks.
- Key limitation
- This was a small pilot study with only 19 participants in the active arm, limiting power to detect clinically meaningful effects.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
To determine the effect of omega-three supplementation with fish oil on serum urate, weight and body mass index (BMI) in people with gout. A pilot 6-month, randomized, open-label clinical trial was undertaken in people with gout with serum urate ≥ 0.…