Effects of Omega-3 and Omega-9 Fatty Acid Supplementation on HOMA-IR and Inflammatory Markers in Children with Obesity and Insulin Resistance: A Triple-Blind RCT with Post-Intervention Follow-Up

Nittiosju barn i åldern 8–17 år med övervikt eller obesitas och insulinresistens (HOMA-IR >3.0) randomiserades till omega-3 (n=32), omega-9 (n=34) eller kombinerat omega-3 plus omega-9 (n=31), med 1.8 g/dag i 3 månader och därefter 2 månaders uppföljning. Det primära utfallet var förändringen i HOMA-IR från baseline till behandlingens slut. Fasting insulin and HOMA-IR fell in the combined group (p<0.001) and in the omega-9 group (p=0.010 and p=0.006). At the 5-month follow-up only the combined group maintained significant reductions in both. IL-6 and leptin fell across all groups. However, the intervention group was not an independent predictor of metabolic response in multivariable regression, and there were no significant between-group differences at any timepoint. The authors attribute response magnitude to baseline metabolic status and concurrent BMI reduction rather than to the supplement arm. This is a real human RCT of omega-3, but the outcome is pediatric insulin resistance, not aging, and omega-3 alone did not separate from placebo on the primary comparison.

Within-group reductions in HOMA-IR and fasting insulin persisted after discontinuation only in the Combined group, but without significant between-group differences at any timepoint, consistent with response magnitude reflecting baseline status and adiposity reduction rather than treatment group per se.