Exploring a tolerable and effective dosage of omega-3 fatty acids as a supplement in enterally fed patients with severe pneumonia: A pilot study.

Denna pilotstudie sökte en tolererbar dos av omega-3 för enteralt matade patienter med svår samhällsförvärvad lunginflammation. Åttiofyra patienter fördelades slumpmässigt till en kontrollgrupp eller experimentgrupper som fick 3,50 g eller 8,75 g/dag EPA plus DHA i sju dagar. The abstract reports that omega-3 supplementation significantly reduced mechanical-ventilation duration, hospital expenses and daily hospital costs. It does not provide the group sizes, effect estimates, p-values, or a comparison between the two omega-3 doses. The anticipated anti-inflammatory effect was not observed; instead, the authors describe a trend toward immune enhancement. Both active doses were relatively well tolerated. Mechanical-ventilation duration is a clinical outcome, but this short intervention was delivered to severely ill patients in intensive medical care, not healthy adults taking a routine supplement. The reported result therefore has limited relevance to prevention or longevity. The study was explicitly labelled a pilot, and the authors call for a larger, adequately powered trial to confirm benefits and establish the optimal dose. Until then, the evidence is suggestive rather than a settled basis for clinical use.

Omega-3 fatty acids at 3.50-8.75 g/day were relatively well tolerated and were associated with shorter mechanical-ventilation duration and lower hospital cost in this pilot study.