ReviewAmerican journal of cardiovascular drugs : drugs, devices, and other interventions2016
Omega-3 Fatty Acid Formulations in Cardiovascular Disease: Dietary Supplements are Not Substitutes for Prescription Products.
Review in American journal of cardiovascular drugs : drugs, devices, and other interventions, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06129526 (Study of the Effect of Eicosapentaenoic Acid), which is not on this map. Cited by 25 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Study of the Effect of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) on Markers of Atherothrombosis in Patients With Type-2 Diabetes
Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 76 citations in OpenAlex.
- Adjunctive therapy with lipid-lowering agents in COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Lipids in health and disease · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- A randomized controlled study of the efficacy of 4 weeks of supplementation with ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in cases of unexplained oligohydramnios.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2016Trial
- Anti-Neuroinflammation Activity of Essential Oils and Fatty Acids.Food science & nutrition · 2026Review
- The Role of Omega-3 and Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation in Human Health.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Omega-3 Fatty Acid Fortification of Plant-Based Beverages to Enhance Their Nutritional Profile.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Comprehensive Evaluation of Nutritional, Physicochemical, and Volatile Profiles of Selected Bovine Head Muscles.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation on Skeletal Muscle Mass and Strength in Adults: A Systematic Review.Clinical nutrition research · 2023Review
- Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Effects on Cardiovascular Risk in Childhood: A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2023Review
- Omega-9 fatty acids: potential roles in inflammation and cancer management.Journal, genetic engineering & biotechnology · 2022Review
- Modulation of endothelium function by fatty acids.Molecular and cellular biochemistry · 2022Review
- Multimodality Imaging Trials Evaluating the Impact of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Coronary Artery Plaque Characteristics and Burden.Heart international · 2022Review
- Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs): Uses and Potential Health Benefits.Current nutrition reports · 2021Review
- Article
- Knowledge, Perceptions, and Patterns of Fish Oil Use in Cardiac Patients.Journal of pharmacy practice · 2020Article
- Novel Approaches for Omega-3 Fatty Acid Therapeutics: Chronic Versus Acute Administration to Protect Heart, Brain, and Spinal Cord.Annual review of nutrition · 2020Review
- Critical Differences Between Dietary Supplement and Prescription Omega-3 Fatty Acids: A Narrative Review.Advances in therapy · 2020Review
- The Future of Lipid-lowering Therapy.Journal of clinical medicine · 2019Review
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids as Druggable Therapeutics for Neurodegenerative Disorders.CNS & neurological disorders drug targets · 2019Review
- Oily Fish and Omega-3s Across the Life Stages: A Focus on Intakes and Future Directions.Frontiers in nutrition · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Omega-3 fatty acid products are available as prescription formulations (icosapent ethyl, omega-3-acid ethyl esters, omega-3-acid ethyl esters A, omega-3-carboxylic acids) and dietary supplements (predominantly fish oils). Most dietary supplements and all but one prescription formulation contain mixtures of the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Products containing both EPA and DHA may raise low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). In clinical trials, the EPA-only prescription product, icosapent ethyl, did not raise LDL-C compared with placebo. To correct a common misconception, it is important to note that omega-3 fatty acid dietary supplements are not US FDA-approved over-the-counter drugs and are not required to demonstrate safety and efficacy prior to marketing. Conversely, prescription products are supported by extensive clinical safety and efficacy investigations required for FDA approval and have active and ongoing safety monitoring programs. While omega-3 fatty acid dietary supplements may have a place in the supplementation of diet, they generally contain lower levels of EPA and DHA than prescription products and are not approved or intended to treat disease. Perhaps due to the lack of regulation of dietary supplements, EPA and DHA levels may vary widely within and between brands, and products may also contain unwanted cholesterol or fats or potentially harmful components, including toxins and oxidized fatty acids. Accordingly, omega-3 fatty acid dietary supplements should not be substituted for prescription products. Similarly, prescription products containing DHA and EPA should not be substituted for the EPA-only prescription product, as DHA may raise LDL-C and thereby complicate the management of patients with dyslipidemia.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.