Table 1.
Clinical trials investigating the use of n-3 PUFAs in IBD.
| Condition | Study design | Participants | Intervention | Outcomes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBD-related joint pain | RCT (10 d. treatment period) | 17 (9 CD, 10 UC) | Seal oil (n = 10) vs. soy oil (n = 9) 10 ml 3x daily, administered duodenally | Reduced bodily pain | Bjørkkjær et al., 2006 |
| Active CD | Open label (12 weeks of treatment) | 13 | CLA 6 g/d | Drop in CD activity index, increase in quality of life | Bassaganya-Riera et al., 2004 |
| CD (patients with currently or recently raised inflammatory markers) | RCT (24 weeks of treatment) | 61 | EPA and DHA (+ antioxidants) 2.7 g/d for (n = 31), Placebo (n = 30) | reduction in IFNγ production by mitogen-stimulated PBMC | Trebble et al., 2004 |
| Pediatric patients with CD in remission | Double-blind RCT (12 months of treatment) | 38 | 5 ASA (50 mg/kg/d) + EPA + DHA (3 g/d) vs. 5-ASA (50 mg/kg/d) + olive oil (3 g/d) | Lower relapse rate after 1 year | Romano et al., 2005 |
| Active CD | Double-blind RTC (9 weeks of treatment) | 31 | Nutritional treatment with an isocaloric diet Impact Powder (3 g omega-3 FA, 11.4 g L-Arginine, and 1.2 g RNA per day) Control formula: Nutritional supplement with 7.8 g linoleic acid per day (all patients received systemic steroid therapy) | Significant decrease in CDAI and C-reactive protein in both groups (no difference) | Nielsen et al., 2005 |
| Active UC | Double-blind RTC (6 months of treatment) | 121 (86 completed the protocol) | Nutritional supplement with <2.5 g EPA and <1.0 g DHA per day vs. supplement based on sucrose alone (Steroids and 5-ASA allowed, their doses adjusted to clinical response) | Similar clinical improvement, but faster reduction in steroid dose in active group | Seinder et al., 2005 |
| Newly-diagnosed pediatric patients with CD | Double-blind RTC (6 weeks of treatment) | 41 | Polymeric diet with 1.5% of energy as ALA and 3% as LA vs. elemental diet with 0.4% of energy ALA and 5.4% as LA (No other active therapy for CD allowed) | Similar remission rate between the groups | Grogan et al., 2012 |
| CD patients immediately after reaching remission | Double-blind RTC (58 weeks of treatment) | 375 | Enteric coated capsules (2-2.4 g EPA/day and 0.6–1 g DHA/day) vs. placebo capsules | 47.8% relapse rate vs. 48.8% in placebo | Feagan et al., 2008 |
| CD patients in remission | Double-blind RTC (52 weeks of treatment) | 363 | Enteric coated capsules (2–2.4 g EPA/day and 0.6–1 g DHA/day) vs. placebo capsules | 31.6% relapse rate vs. 35.7% in placebo group | Feagan et al., 2008 |
| CD patients in remission | Metaanalysis of RCT (at least 6 months of treatment) | 1039 | Fish oil or n-3 PUFA Predefined doses | Risk of relapse - RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.98 | Turner et al., 2011 Lev-Tzion et al., 2014 |
| Cabré et al., 2012 |
ASA, amino salicylic acid; CD, Crohn disease; CLA, conjugated linoleic acid; DHA, docosahexaenoic acid; EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid; IBD, inflammatory bowel disease; IFNγ, interferon-gamma; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acid; RCT, randomized controlled trial.