Effects of dietary ω3-fatty acid supplementation on the serum systemic and vascular inflammation markers in hemodialysis patients

High serum concentrations of systemic and vascular inflammation markers are two major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in hemodialysis patients. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of dietary ω3-fatty acid supplementation on the serum systemic and vascular inflammation markers in these patients. The study was a double-blind randomized clinical trial. Forty hemodialysis patients were randomly assigned to either an ω3-fatty acid supplement or a placebo group. The patients in the ω3-fatty acid supplement group received 2080 mg ω3-fatty acids as 4 capsules, each containing 310 mg eicosapentaenoic acid and 210 mg docosahexaenoic acid, daily for 10 weeks, while the placebo group received 4 corresponding placebo capsules containing MCT oil. At baseline and the end of week 10 of the study, 7 ml blood was collected from each patient after a 12- to 14-hour fast before dialysis and serum sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, sE-selectin, sP-selectin, CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, malondealdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were measured. Serum sICAM-1 concentration decreased significantly in the ω3-fatty acid supplement group at the end of week 10, compared to the baseline value (P<0.05); the reduction was also significant in comparison with the decrease in placebo group (P<0.05). No significant differences were observed between the two groups with regard to the mean changes in the serum sVCAM-1, sE-selectin, sP-selectin, CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, MDA, and TAC concentrations. The results of the present study indicate that dietary ω3-fatty acid supplements can reduce serum sICAM-1 concentration in hemodialysis patients, but it has no effect on serum systemic inflammation markers and oxidative stress.