A major international study showed that daily intake of fish oil supplements significantly reduces the occurrence of serious cardiovascular complications in patients with kidney failure who are undergoing dialysis.
The study, conducted in collaboration between Monash School of Health and the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash University in Australia, involved 1228 participants from 26 dialysis centers in Australia and Canada.
Results showed that participants who consumed four grams of fish oil daily, containing the active natural ingredients EPA andDHA, experienced a 43% reduction in the rate of serious cardiovascular complications compared to the group that took a placebo.
These complications included heart attacks, strokes, cardiac death, and vascular-related limb amputations.
Associate Professor Kevan Polkinghorne, a kidney disease specialist at Monash School of Health and an associate professor at the School of Clinical Sciences, said, "Dialysis patients face very high cardiovascular and vascular risks, and only a few treatments have proven their ability to reduce this risk. In a field that has seen many negative results, this outcome is significant."
Polkinghorne also noted that EPA andDHA levels in dialysis patients are typically much lower than the general population, which may explain the notable benefit seen in this group. He emphasized that these results are specific to individuals undergoing dialysis for kidney failure and should not be applied to healthy individuals or other patient groups.
The central coordination of the trial was managed by the Australian Kidney Trials Network (AKTN), with about 200 Australian participants in the study, including 44 treated at Monash Hospital. Internationally, Professor Charmaine Lok and her colleagues at the University Health Network in Toronto and the University of Calgary led the study.
The results were presented at the American Society of Nephrology's Kidney Week in 2025, and published concurrently in the New England Journal of Medicine.
