The effect of marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on cardiac autonomic and hemodynamic function in patients with psoriatic arthritis: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Study answer

What this study found

Marine n-3 PUFA supplementation improved cardiac autonomic tone but did not significantly change blood pressure, central blood pressure, or arterial stiffness. In the n-3 group, RR interval increased from 956.55 to 969.94 ms (difference 13.38, 95% CI -5.06 to 31.83; P=0.06) and heart rate decreased from 63.83 to 63.29 min-1 (difference -0.61, 95% CI -1.92 to 0.70; P=0.12). Peripheral systolic blood pressure fell by 3.67 mmHg, but other hemodynamic measures were not meaningfully changed; pulse wave velocity changed by 0.01 m/s (P=0.82). Mild gastrointestinal adverse effects were reported by 9…

Study & population

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adults with psoriatic arthritis recruited from rheumatology departments in Denmark.

Intervention

Marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids were given orally at 3 g/day as six capsules daily for 24 weeks.

Key limitation

The trial was relatively small and short, with attrition from 72 randomized participants in the active arm to 58 per-protocol analyses.

View full study detailsView sourceOpen PDF

Original abstract