Background and objectives Kidney function gradually decreases with age, and myocardial infarction accelerates this deterioration. Omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids may slow down the decline of kidney function. The effect of marine and plant-derived n-3 fatty acids on kidney function in patients after myocardial infarction was examined.Design, setting, participants, & measurements In the Alpha Omega Trial, 2344 patients with history of myocardial infarction ages 60-80 years old (81% men) were randomized to one of four trial margarines. The patients received an additional targeted amount of 400 mg/d eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, 2 g/d a-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid-docosahexaenoic acid plus a-linolenic acid, or placebo for 40 months. Serum cystatin C and serum creatinine were assessed at baseline and after 40 months. Creatinine-cystatin C-based GFR was estimated with the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation.Results Patients consumed 19.9 g margarine/d, providing an additional 239 mg/d eicosapentaenoic acid with 159 mg/d docosahexaenoic acid, 1.99 g/d a-linolenic acid, or both in the active treatment groups. After 40 months, compared with baseline, mean (6SD) creatinine-cystatin C-based GFR was 26.9 (612.6), 24.8 (613.4), 26.2 (612.8), and 26.0 (613.0) ml/min per 1.73 m 2 in the placebo, eicosapentaenoic acid-docosahexaenoic acid, a-linolenic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid-docosahexaenoic acid plus a-linolenic acid groups, respectively. After 40 months, in patients receiving eicosapentaenoic acid-docosahexaenoic acid compared with placebo, the decline in creatinine-cystatin C-based GFR was 2.1 less (95% confidence interval, 0.6 to 3.6; P,0.01) ml/min per 1.73 m 2 ; other comparisons were not statistical significant. Odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of incident CKD (,60 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 ) and rapid decline of kidney function ($3 ml/min per year) for eicosapentaenoic acid-docosahexaenoic acid compared with placebo were 0.83 (0.58 to 1.18) and 0.85 (0.67 to 1.08), respectively.Conclusions Long-term supplementation with 400 mg/d eicosapentaenoic acid-docosahexaenoic acid provides a small beneficial effect on kidney function in patients with a history of myocardial infarction.