Background: Supplementation of fish oil has been shown to exert beneficial effects in patients undergoing hemodialysis. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of fish oil in improving the quality of life of these patients through a randomized, double-blinded clinical trial. Methods: Among the 103 patients enrolled in the study, a total of 74 patients were randomized to receive fish oil (intervention group) or placebo (n=37 per group). Patients received identical soft-gel capsules, with each capsule containing either 1000 mg fish oil or placebo for 4 months. Personnel responsible for data collection and analyses were blinded to the grouping. Results: The reduction of protein-energy wasting (PEW) in the intervention group was significantly more prominent compared to the placebo group (P=0.023). The intervention group demonstrated significant increase in midarm circumference, arm muscle circumference, and triceps skinfold thickness after fish oil intake. The intervention group also exhibited significant differences from the placebo group in creatinine, uric acid, and serum calcium levels. Significant improvement was seen regarding the physical role and energy/figure in the intervention group. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that fish oil intake in patient undergoing hemodialysis can significantly reduce PEW, and improve physical and biochemical parameters and quality of life, which could provide guidance to clinical management of these patients.

Background: Lupus nephritis (LN) is one of the most severe organ that damages the systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Cyclophosphamide is one of the main drugs used in the treatment of LN. Fish oil is a general term of all the oily substances in fish, whose main component is omega-3 fatty acid. This study aimed to investigate whether fish oil could be used as an adjunct to low-dose cyclophosphamide in proliferative LN treatment. Methods: A total of 237 patients with proliferative LN were recruited and randomized into two groups: cyclophosphamide + placebo group and cyclophosphamide + fish oil group. In the cyclophosphamide + placebo group, participants received prednisone + cyclophosphamide + placebo. In the cyclophosphamide + fish oil group, participants received prednisone + cyclophosphamide + fish oil. Before and after treatment, the clinical parameters of the patients in both groups were evaluated. Results: In the cyclophosphamide + fish oil group, the number of patients achieving complete remission (n = 45, 46.9%) was significantly higher than the cyclophosphamide + placebo group (n = 31, 32.6%). The number of patients achieving no response in the cyclophosphamide + fish oil group (n = 8, 8.3%) was significantly lower than the cyclophosphamide + placebo group (n = 22, 23.2%). Hematuria (P = 0.036), urine protein-creatinine ratio (uPCR) (P = 0.014), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (P = 0.027), and renal SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) (P = 0.009) improved more significantly in the cyclophosphamide + fish oil group. The number of patients with infection (P = 0.04) or urinary tract infection (P = 0.04) in the cyclophosphamide + fish oil group was lower than the cyclophosphamide + placebo group. Conclusion: In conclusion, the treatment of fish oil in LN patients enhances the efficiency of cyclophosphamide, alleviates nephritis-related parameters, and inhibits infection and urinary tract infection during the treatment. Thus, fish oil may serve as a potential adjuvant drug in the treatment of LN.