Effects of n-3 fish oil on metabolic and histological parameters in NASH: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Study answer

What this study found

The n-3 fish oil regimen did not improve the primary histological endpoint in NASH, but it did reduce liver fat content by imaging measures. The primary outcome, NAS reduction of at least 2 points without fibrosis progression, occurred in 4/17 (23.5%) on n-3 versus 3/17 (17.6%) on placebo (p = 0.99). Post-intervention MRI Dixon fat was lower with n-3 than placebo, 8.4 (5.2) versus 12.0 (5.6), with between-group p = 0.015 and within-group p = 0.02 for n-3. Image-assisted morphometry also showed a within-group reduction with n-3, but the between-group difference was not significant (p = 0.13).…

Study & population

Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in adults with non-cirrhotic nonalcoholic steatohepatitis at the University of Virginia Hepatology Clinic in Charlottesville, Virginia, enrolled during 2007-2010.

Intervention

Adults randomized to the active arm received 3000 mg/day of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids as oral fish oil, given as 3 x 1000 mg capsules daily for 1 year.

Key limitation

Small single-center trial with only 17 participants per arm limits precision and generalizability.

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Original abstract