The Effect of Omega-3 Supplementation on Serum Levels of Inflammatory Biomarkers and Albumin in Hemodialysis Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to evaluate the effect of omega-3 supplementation on serum levels of inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein [CRP], high-sensitivity CRP [hs-CRP], tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6) and albumin in patients on hemodialysis. A literature search was performed in MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effect of omega-3 supplementation versus placebo were selected. Eight randomized controlled trials comprising 371 patients on hemodialysis were included. According to our results, omega-3 supplementation significantly decreased serum levels of CRP (standardized mean difference [SMD]: −1.95 mg/Dl; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −3.09, −0.80) and hs-CRP (SMD: −2.09; 95% CI: −3.62, −0.56) but did not significantly improve albumin (SMD: 0.91; 95% CI: −0.78, 2.59), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (SMD: −1.51; 95% CI: −3.24, 0.22), and interleukin-6 (SMD: 0.72, 95% CI: −0.56, 1.99). We concluded that omega-3 supplementation leads to a significant decrease in serum levels of CRP and hs-CRP.