Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids Supplementation on Serum Lipid Profile and Blood Pressure in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
What this study found
Omega-3 PUFA supplementation reduced triglycerides and lowered both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, but it did not significantly change total cholesterol, LDL-C, or HDL-C. Pooled effects favored supplementation for triglycerides (SMD = −0.39; 95% CI: −0.59 to −0.18; I2 = 17.2%), systolic blood pressure (SMD = −0.54; 95% CI: −0.86 to −0.22; I2 = 48.6%), and diastolic blood pressure (SMD = −0.56; 95% CI: −0.79 to −0.33; I2 = 14.0%). No significant effects were seen for total cholesterol (SMD = −0.02; 95% CI: −0.22 to 0.18), LDL-C (SMD = 0.18; 95% CI: −0.18 to 0.53), or HDL-C (SMD =…
- Study & population
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in adults with metabolic syndrome from multiple countries.
- Intervention
- Oral omega-3 PUFA supplementation was evaluated across randomized trials, using fish oil, flaxseed oil, or n-3 PUFA formulations.
- Key limitation
- The evidence base was relatively small and included heterogeneous omega-3 formulations, doses, and treatment durations.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) supplementation on serum lipid profile and blood pressure in patients with metabolic syndrome. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane library from database inception to 30 April 2022. This meta-analysis included eight trials with 387 participants. We found that supplementation of n-3 PUFAs has no significant reduction in TC level (SMD = −0.02; 95% CI: −0.22 ~ 0.18, I2 = 23.7%) and LDL-c level in serum (SMD = 0.18; 95% CI: −0.18 ~ 0.53, I2 = 54.9%) of patients with metabolic syndrome. Moreover, we found no significant increase in serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (SMD = 0.02; 95% CI: −0.21 ~ 0.25, I2 = 0%) in patients with metabolic syndrome after consuming n-3 PUFAs. In addition, we found that n-3 PUFAs can significantly decrease serum triglyceride levels (SMD= −0.39; 95% CI: −0.59 ~ −0.18, I2 = 17.2%), systolic blood pressure (SMD = −0.54; 95% CI: −0.86 ~ −0.22, I2 = 48.6%), and diastolic blood pressure (SMD = −0.56; 95% CI: −0.79 ~ 0.33, I2 = 14.0%) in patients with metabolic syndrome. The results from the sensitivity analysis confirmed that our results were robust. These findings suggest that n-3 PUFA supplementation may serve as a potential dietary supplement for improving lipids and blood pressure in metabolic syndrome. Given the quality of the included studies, further studies are still needed to verify our findings.