Effect of Omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on serum level of C-reactive protein in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

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#c-reactive-protein #dietary-supplements #fatty-acids-omega-3 #humans #inflammation

Effect of Omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on serum level of C-reactive protein in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Taha et al., 2022 | J Transl Med | Meta Analysis

Citation

Taha Amira Mohamed, Shaarawy Ahmad Shehata, ... Abd-ElGawad Mohamed. Effect of Omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on serum level of C-reactive protein in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Transl Med. 2022-Sep-05;20(1):401. doi:10.1186/s12967-022-03604-3

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Omega-3 may alleviate the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by reducing the C-reactive protein (CRP) level, a marker for systemic inflammation. Because the scientific evidence indicating such a role is inconsistent, we aimed to evaluate the effect of Omega-3 on CRP change and CRP level in patients with COVID-19. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search on four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Scopus). We included all RCTs comparing Omega-3 with a control group regarding their effect on the CRP levels in patients with COVID-19. We used version two of the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool to appraise the included studies. We extracted data to an online data extraction sheet. The primary outcomes were CRP change from baseline and CRP serum levels. RESULTS: We included four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 274 patients in this study. The overall effect estimate favored Omega-3 over the control group in terms of CRP change from baseline (mean difference (MD) =- 2.53, 95% confidence interval (CI): - 4.40, - 0.66) and CRP serum levels at the end of the study (MD =- 6.24, 95% CI: - 11.93, - 0.54). CONCLUSION: Omega-3 showed promising effects on systemic inflammation by reducing CRP levels in COVID-19 patients. Based on this finding, we recommend Omega-3 for COVID-19 patients for its anti-inflammatory actions.

Key Findings

We included four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 274 patients in this study. The overall effect estimate favored Omega-3 over the control group in terms of CRP change from baseline (mean difference (MD) =- 2.53, 95% confidence interval (CI): - 4.40, - 0.66) and CRP serum levels at the end of the study (MD =- 6.24, 95% CI: - 11.93, - 0.54).

Outcomes Measured

  • C-reactive protein
  • inflammatory markers

Population

Field Value
Population covid
Sample Size 274
Age Range See abstract
Condition inflammation

MeSH Terms

  • C-Reactive Protein
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Fatty Acids, Omega-3
  • Humans
  • Inflammation
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • COVID-19 Drug Treatment

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Systematic Review, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Vertical: omega-3

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09