Fish oil has been found to improve the health of kidney patients undergoing dialysis in a new study that adds to the growing list of benefits tied to omega-3 fatty acids.
Scientists at the Lawson Health Research Institute found fish oil supplements may offer significant benefits to patients undergoing hemodialysis delivered through arteriovenous (AV) grafts -- artificial vessels created to join an artery to a vein.
The study’s findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, indicated patients who took supplements for 12 months were less likely to experience the blood clots and other complications that are common with AV grafts. They also had lower blood pressure, and lower rates of heart attacks, heart failure and other cardiac-related events.
"This study provides very exciting results," the researchers concluded. "Fish oil did not fix all the problems with grafts but it reduced the number of costly, time consuming procedures for patients already receiving a very burdensome treatment with dialysis. It is not often we have such encouraging results that benefit patients' quality of life and reduce health care costs. "
The study was led by Dr. Charmaine Lok at Toronto General Hospital, and funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Physicians Services Incorporated (PSI) Foundation.