Safety of Supplementation of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

There is no comprehensive review of the evidence to support omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as a relatively safe and tolerable intervention. This study aimed to provide a meta-analytic and comprehensive review on the adverse effects of all kinds of omega-3 PUFA supplementation reported in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in human subjects. A systematic review of RCTs published between 1987 and 2023 was carried out based on searches of 8 electronic databases. All RCTs that compared the adverse effects of omega-3 PUFAs containing eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, or both compared with controls (a placebo or a standard treatment) were included. The primary outcome was the adverse effects related to omega-3 PUFA prescription. A total of 90 RCTs showed that the omega-3 PUFA group, when compared with the placebo, had significantly higher odds of occurrence of diarrhea (odds ratio [OR] = 1.257, P = 0.010), dysgeusia (OR = 3.478, P < 0.001), and bleeding tendency (OR = 1.260, P = 0.025) but lower rates of back pain (OR = 0.727, P < 0.001). The subgroup analysis showed that the prescription omega-3 PUFA products (RxOME3FAs) had higher omega-3 PUFA dosages than generic omega-3 PUFAs (OME3FAs) (3056.38 +/- 1113.28 mg/d compared with 2315.92 +/- 1725.61 mg/d), and studies on RxOME3FAs performed more standard assessments than OME3FAs on adverse effects (63% compared with 36%). There was no report of definite omega-3 PUFA-related serious adverse events. The subjects taking omega-3 PUFAs were at higher odds of experiencing adverse effects; hence, comprehensive assessments of the adverse effects may help to detect minor/subtle adverse effects associated with omega-3 PUFAs. This study was registered at PROSPERO as CRD42023401169.