Fish Oil for Treatment of Dyslipidemia

Evidence Summary IMPROVEMENTS IN LABORATORY VALUES A Cochrane review of 23 RCTs involving 1,075 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus showed that supplementation with fish oil (average dosage of 3.5 g per day for an average of 8.9 weeks) lowered triglyceride levels by 8.1 mg per dL (0.1 mmol per L; P < .00001).1 In treated patients, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels decreased by 1.26 mg per dL (0.03 mmol per L; P = .04), and LDL cholesterol levels increased by 1.98 mg per dL (0.05 mmol per L; P = .05). An earlier Cochrane review of 17 RCTs (N = 3,918) sought to determine the effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on rates of mortality and cardiovascular events.2 The meta-analysis of studies that included adults at risk of cardiovascular disease found that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation significantly reduced serum triglyceride levels (weighted mean difference = −7.2 mg per dL [−0.1 mmol per L];95% confidence interval [CI], −10.08 to −4.14). [...]report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III) final report.