What are the benefits of fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids supplements?
There is little evidence that describes any clinical benefit of using supplements or oral nutritional supplements (ONS) enriched with fish oil or omega-3 fatty acids. A systematic review drawing from 38 clinical studies found no evidence that supplements or enriched ONS using fish oil or added omega-3 fatty acids provided additional clinical benefits in the treatment of cachexia in advanced cancer. Another randomized trial evaluated the use of ONS enriched with fish oil (eicosapentaenoic acid) before and after surgical procedures; no significant changes in post-operative weight loss or complication rates were found.
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- Sánchez-Lara K, Turcott JG, Juárez-Hernández E, et al.: Effects of an oral nutritional supplement containing eicosapentaenoic acid on nutritional and clinical outcomes in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: randomised trial. Clin Nutr 33 (6): 1017-23, 2014.
- van der Meij BS, Langius JA, Smit EF, et al.: Oral nutritional supplements containing (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids affect the nutritional status of patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer during multimodality treatment. J Nutr 140 (10): 1774-80, 2010.
- de Aguiar Pastore Silva J, Emilia de Souza Fabre M, Waitzberg DL: Omega-3 supplements for patients in chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy: A systematic review. Clin Nutr 34 (3): 359-66, 2015.
- Hubbard GP, Elia M, Holdoway A, et al.: A systematic review of compliance to oral nutritional supplements. Clin Nutr 31 (3): 293-312, 2012.
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