Table 1.
Characteristics of the included studies
| Study | Country | Study design | OA site | Sample size | Mean age | Men | n-3 PUFA dose | EPA dose | DHA dose | Control | Follow-up duration | Outcomes reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| years | % | mg/d | mg/d | mg/d | months | |||||||
| Stammers 1992 | UK | R, DB, PC | Not specified | 86 | 68 | 27.9 | 786 | 786 | 0 | Olive oil | 6 | VAS for pain and VAS for function |
| Lau 2004 | China | R, DB, PC | Hip or knee | 80 | 62.5 | 13.8 | 1360 | 520 | 840 | Olive oil | 6 | VAS for pain and PGA for function |
| Jacquet 2009 | France | R, DB, PC | Hip or knee | 81 | 57.1 | 32.1 | 1360 | 520 | 840 | Placebo | 3 | WOMAC for pain and function |
| Gruenwald 2009 | Germany | R, DB | Hip or knee | 177 | 62.3 | 36.5 | 1332 | 800 | 532 | Palm and sunflower oil | 6 | WOMAC for pain and function |
| Suzuki 2016 | Japan | R, DB, PC | Knee | 47 | 64.7 | 12.8 | 350 | 240 | 110 | Safflower oil | 1 | VAS for pain and JOA for function |
| Stebbings 2017 | New Zealand | R, DB, PC | Hip or knee | 80 | 66.4 | 45 | 460 | 280 | 180 | Corn oil | 4 | WOMAC for pain and function |
| MacFarlane 2020 | USA | R, DB, PC | Knee | 1221 | 67.7 | 34 | 840 | 490 | 350 | Placebo | 63 | WOMAC for pain and function |
| Kuszewski 2020 | Australia | R, DB, PC | Not specified | 63 | 65.4 | NR | 2400 | 400 | 2000 | Corn oil | 4 | VAS for pain |
| Stonehouse 2022 | Australia | R, DB, PC | Knee | 235 | 55.9 | 45.1 | 880 | 600 | 280 | Vegetable oil | 6 | WOMAC for pain and function |
n-3 PUFA omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids; OA osteoarthritis; EPA eicosapentaenoic acid; DHA docosahexanoic acid; R randomized; DB double-blind; PC placebo-controlled; VAS visual analogue scale; PGA Patients’ Global Assessment; WOMAC Western Ontario-McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index; JOA Japanese Orthopaedic Association score