Does Fish Oil Have an Anti-Obesity Effect in Overweight/Obese Adults? A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

ContextAccumulating evidence has suggested favorable effects of fish oil on weight loss in animal experiments; however, findings remain inconsistent in humans.ObjectsThe meta-analysis was performed to investigate the influence of fish oil on some parameters of body composition in overweight/obese adults.DesignHuman randomized, placebo-controlled trials were identified by a systematic search of Embase, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, web of science and reference lists of related reviews and articles. The random-effects model was used to estimate the calculated results.ResultsIn total, 21 studies with 30 study arms were included in this analysis. Calculated results of the meta-analysis demonstrated that fish oil had no effect on reducing body weight (overall SMD = -0.07, 95% CI -0.21 to 0.07, P = 0.31) and BMI (overall SMD = -0.09, 95% CI -0.22 to 0.03, P = 0.14) whether alone or combined with life modification intervention in overweight/obese subjects. However, waist circumference was significantly reduced (SMD = -0.23, 95% CI -0.40 to -0.06, P = 0.008) in those with fish oil supplementation combined with life modification intervention. Waist hip ratio (WHR) was significantly reduced (overall SMD = -0.52 95% CI -0.76 to -0.27, P < 0.0005) in fish oil supplemented individuals with or without combination life modification intervention.ConclusionCurrent evidence cannot support an exact anti-obesity role of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in overweight/obese subjects. However, these subjects may benefit from reducing abdominal fat with fish oil supplementation especially when combined with life modification intervention. Further large-scale and long-term clinical trials are needed to gain definite conclusions.

Oxidative stress and immunosenescence in spleen of obese mice can be reversed by 2‐hydroxyoleic acid

“…; Buckley & Howe, ), a recent meta‐analysis indicated that PUFA supplementation does not promote anti‐obesity effects in overweight/obese individuals, in agreement with our results (Du et al . ).…”

Transcriptomic and microRNA analyses of gene networks regulated by eicosapentaenoic acid in brown adipose tissue of diet-induced obese mice

“…In comparison, the intakes of EPA and DHA in the United States are low for omega 3s ~0.1–0.2 g/d [66] and the current recommendations vary from 1 g/d to 4 g/d [67] with upper levels necessary to reduce hypertriglyceridemia. Higher doses have been used in human studies from 4.2 g/d [68] to doses up to 15 g/d described in a recent meta-analysis [69, 70]. However, in human studies, the effect of fish oil in improving fat oxidation and whole-body metabolism is inconsistent.…”

Nutritional approaches for managing obesity-associated metabolic diseases

“…However, to date, there are limited trails examining the effects of nutritional approaches for suppressing obesity-related intestine inflammation. This may be due to the fact that it is a relatively new concept that obesity-related intestine inflammation precedes and correlates with insulin resistance (Ding et al 2010; Du, et al 2015). However, it is expected that in the future more trials will specifically address whether and how diets suppress intestine inflammation in the context of preventing or reversing obesity-related metabolic dysregulation.…”

“…In overweight or obese children, supplementation of CLA also reduced body fatness (Racine, et al 2010). However, there also are many studies that could not support an exact anti-obesity role for n-3 PUFAs in overweight/obese subjects, which suggest the necessity of conducting more large-scale and long-term clinical trials (Du et al 2015). Compared with PUFAs, MUFAs appear to be more promising in terms of reducing fat mass.…”