Evidence map›Paper›PMID 22765297›Full record

ArticleBritish journal of clinical pharmacology2013

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and inflammatory processes: nutrition or pharmacology?

Philip C Calder

2 registry-linked trialsOpen access · bronzeAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in British journal of clinical pharmacology, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 612 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
612citing papers in PubMed, 11 pooled it
43.8field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT03143075 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2017, after this paper: background citation

Do Omega-3 Fatty Acids Have an Antidepressant Effect in Patients With Signs of Peripheral Inflammation?

TypeinterventionalSponsorRegion SkaneRan2017 to 2023Enrolled95ConditionsMajor Depressive DisorderArmsEicosapentaenoic acid enriched omega-3 fatty acids, 2 g/day
NCT06995586 nanot yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

The Synergistic Action of Vitamins and Dietary Supplements in Patients With Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Improving the Quality of Healthcare Delivery.

TypeinterventionalSponsorNicosia General HospitalRan2026 to 2028Enrolled108ConditionsCardio-pulmonary Bypass, Cardiovascular Diseases, Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Omega-3 SupplementationArmsVitamin C, Omega 3 PUFA (EPO/DHA), Lignin, Lactulose
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

612 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 1,295 citations in OpenAlex.

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  14. Multicenter phase II study on the efficacy of an oral nutritional supplement containing eicosapentaenoic acid in advanced gastric cancer patients with cachexia.Gastric cancer : official journal of the International Gastric Cancer Association and the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association · 2025
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552 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.

Philip C CalderHuman Development and Health Academic Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, MP887 Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, United Kingdom. pcc@soton.ac.uk
University of Southampton · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are n-3 fatty acids found in oily fish and fish oil supplements. These fatty acids are able to inhibit partly a number of aspects of inflammation including leucocyte chemotaxis, adhesion molecule expression and leucocyte-endothelial adhesive interactions, production of eicosanoids like prostaglandins and leukotrienes from the n-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid, production of inflammatory cytokines and T cell reactivity. In parallel, EPA gives rise to eicosanoids that often have lower biological potency than those produced from arachidonioc acid and EPA and DHA give rise to anti-inflammatory and inflammation resolving resolvins and protectins. Mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory actions of n-3 fatty acids include altered cell membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition, disruption of lipid rafts, inhibition of activation of the pro-inflammatory transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B so reducing expression of inflammatory genes, activation of the anti-inflammatory transcription factor NR1C3 (i.e. peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ) and binding to the G protein coupled receptor GPR120. These mechanisms are interlinked. In adult humans, an EPA plus DHA intake greater than 2 g day⁻¹ seems to be required to elicit anti-inflammatory actions, but few dose finding studies have been performed. Animal models demonstrate benefit from n-3 fatty acids in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and asthma. Clinical trials of fish oil in patients with RA demonstrate benefit supported by meta-analyses of the data. Clinical trails of fish oil in patients with IBD and asthma are inconsistent with no overall clear evidence of efficacy.

Indexed as

Functional FoodAdultAnimalsAnti-Inflammatory AgentsChemokinesClinical Trials as TopicDietary SupplementsFatty Acids, Omega-3Fish OilsHumansInflammationModels, AnimalAnti-Inflammatory AgentsChemokinesFatty Acids, Omega-3Fish Oils

Identifiers

PMID22765297
PMCPMC3575932
OpenAlexW1596389679

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.