Daily fish oil supplements intake may reduce cardiovascular risk or potential heart problems
Fish oil supplements are healthy for overall health and especially beneficial for heart or cardiovascular functions.
Scientists conduct a new international trial, which delivered outstanding results for people on kidney dialysis, showing that daily fish oil supplements can sharply reduce serious heart-related problems.
The latest findings of the trial indicate that patients taking fish oil had far fewer heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac deaths than those on control.
Researchers informed that this is especially important because dialysis patients face extreme cardiovascular risk and few proven treatment options.
The latest findings mark a rare breakthrough in kidney care.
A simple daily fish oil supplement may dramatically reduce deadly heart complications in dialysis patients, offering new hope where few treatments have worked.
The research was co-led in Australia by Monash Health and the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash University.
The study, known as the PISCES trial, followed 1,228 participants receiving dialysis at 26 sites across Australia and Canada.
The findings were unveiled at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week 2025 and released at the same time in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers found that participants who took four grams of fish oil each day showed outstanding improvements.
The supplement contained the natural omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. Compared with those given a placebo, these patients experienced a 43 percent reduction in serious cardiovascular events.
The outcomes measured included heart attacks, strokes, cardiac-related deaths, and vascular related amputations.
The latest research findings indicate that patients taking fish oil supplements had far fewer heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac risks during dialysis
Adjunct Professor Kevan Polkinghorne, a nephrologist at Monash Health and adjunct in the School of Clinical Sciences, led the Australian portion of the trial.
“Patients on dialysis have extremely high cardiovascular risk, and very few therapies have been shown to reduce that risk,” Professor Polkinghorne said, adding, “In a field where many trials have been negative, this is a significant finding.”
“Dialysis patients typically have much lower levels of EPA and DHA than the general population. This may help explain the magnitude of benefit observed in this group,” said researchers.
Professor Polkinghorne emphasized that the results are specific to people receiving hemodialysis for kidney failure, as the researchers have only tried it on dialysis patients.
He cautioned that the findings should not be extended to healthy individuals or other patient populations.
The Australian arm of the trial was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council NHMRC.
Overall trial coordination was managed by the Australasian Kidney Trials Network AKTN.
About 200 Australian patients took part in the study, including 44 who were treated at Monash Health.
International leadership of the PISCES trial came from Professor Charmaine Lok and her colleagues at the University Health Network in Toronto and the University of Calgary.
The fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids and other rich nutrients, which also promote healthy hair and improve brain functions.
It is also considered a healthy supplement for skin and bone health.
