Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an increasingly common public health problem that increases the risk of death due to cardiovascular complications by 2-3 times compared to the general population. This research concerns a prospective, randomized, double-blind study in patients with CKD undergoing hemodialysis. The participants were assigned to one of two groups: the study group (group A; 46 patients) received four capsules (2.4 g) of omega-3 fatty acids daily during the 12-week intervention, while patients in the control group (group B; 47 patients) received four capsules of paraffin oil. The patientsâ general characteristics, nutritional indicators, renal disease markers and inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, interleukin-10 and tumour necrosis factor alpha) were evaluated. No differences were found between the general characteristics of the patients (P <0.05), and no differences were shown in the nutritional indicators and markers of kidney disease (P <0.05). Patients in group A showed significant decreases in levels of C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor alpha and the interleukin-10/interleukin-6 ratio after 12 weeks of supplementation (P <0.05). Patients in group B did not show any significant changes in concentrations of inflammatory markers during the intervention (P <0.05). In conclusion, oral supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids produces a significant decrease in the concentrations of inflammation markers in patients with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis.
Novelty bullets:
âOral supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids produced significant decreases in the concentrations of inflammation markers.
âThis supplementation could be given to patients with uremic syndrome and coronary heart disease to reduce cardiovascular risk.