Figure 8.

Effects of n-3 LC-PUFAs vs a control on the hepatocellular ballooning score, assessed histologically, in patients with NASH. A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled estimate of the differences in means and the accompanying 95%CI. Studies were weighted by the inverse of their variance; the area of each symbol is proportional to the weight of the study. The diamond represents the pooled effect. The pooled change from baseline in the hepatocellular ballooning score with intake of n-3 LC-PUFAs, corrected for changes from baseline in the control group, is −0.18 (95%CI, −0.62 to 0.27; P=0.443). Using the trim and fill method of Duval and Tweedie,³⁵ no studies were found to be missing to the right of the mean effect. Abbreviations: DHA, docosahexaenoic acid; EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid; n-3 LC-PUFAs, omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids; NASH, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; NR, not reported; T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus.