The effects of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelet levels of patients with ESRD condition undergoing dialysis

Zahra Mahmoudi; Zahra Roumi; Seyed Ali Askarpour; Zahra Mousavi; Hanieh Shafaei; Neda Valisoltani; Mahsa Shapouri; Seyed Reza Mirshafaei; Pouya Mirzaee; Khadijeh Abbasi Mobarakeh; Elahe Taghavi Sufiani; Zeinab Motiee Bijarpasi; Zeynab Motiei; Masoud Khosravi; Saeid Doaei; Maryam Gholamalizadeh

doi:10.1016/j.jtauto.2024.100233

The effects of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelet levels of patients with ESRD condition undergoing dialysis

J Transl Autoimmun. 2024 Feb 23:8:100233. doi: 10.1016/j.jtauto.2024.100233. eCollection 2024 Jun.

Authors

Zahra Mahmoudi¹, Zahra Roumi², Seyed Ali Askarpour³, Zahra Mousavi⁴, Hanieh Shafaei⁵, Neda Valisoltani⁶, Mahsa Shapouri⁷, Seyed Reza Mirshafaei⁸, Pouya Mirzaee⁶, Khadijeh Abbasi Mobarakeh⁹, Elahe Taghavi Sufiani⁵, Zeinab Motiee Bijarpasi⁵, Zeynab Motiei⁵, Masoud Khosravi¹⁰, Saeid Doaei¹¹, Maryam Gholamalizadeh¹²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nutrition, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Nutrition, Electronic Health and Statistics Surveillance Research Center, Science and Research Branch. Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
³ Division of Food Safety and Hygiene, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ School of Nursing and Midwifery Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.
⁵ Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
⁶ Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.
⁷ Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁸ Department of applied mathematics, Roudsar and Amlash branch, Islamic Azad University, Roudsar, Iran.
⁹ Department of Community Nutrition, Nutrition and Food Security Research Center, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
¹⁰ Urology Research Center, Razi Hospital, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
¹¹ Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
¹² Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Concomitant inflammation may boost the cardiovascular complications in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Omega-3 fatty acids may have certain health benefits in HD patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on hematocrit (HCT), hemoglobin (HB) level and platelet (PLT) counts of HD patients.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on HD patients at a private dialysis center in Rasht, Iran. Three omega-3 fatty acid supplement capsules (3 g/d) were administered daily for two months to patients in the intervention group (n = 55). The control group (n = 60) were given three placebo capsules containing medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, similar to the supplemental dose of the intervention group at the same period. Three parameters of HCT, HB and PLT were measured at baseline and after the intervention.

Results: The PLT count decreased in the intervention group compared to the control group (173.38 ± 74.76 vs. 227.68 ± 86.58 10³/mm³, F = 4.83, P = 0.03). No significant change was found on the levels of HCT and HB parameters between the two groups after the intervention.

Conclusion: Omega-3 supplementation in HD patients may decrease the risk of forming blood clots in the blood vessels. Further studies are warranted.

Keywords: Chronic kidney disease; Hematocrit; Hemodialysis; Hemoglobin; Omega-3 fatty acids; Platelet.