Background. Docohexanoic acid (DHA), a dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty-acid omega-3 (n-3, PUFA), showed potential beneficial effects in reducing all-cause mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. This clinical trial aimed to analyze whether DHA supplementation was a modulator of erythropoietin (EPO) response and inflammation in hemodialysis (HD) patients.~Methods. In single-blind, controlled clinical trial, 52 HD patients were randomized to either DHA supplementation (650 mg DHA/3 times/wk/post-HD session) or controls (usual medical-care) for 8-weeks. Clinical data by collecting hemoglobin concentration (Hb), weekly dose of EPO, and erythropoietin resistance index (ERI). The inflammatory response was measured using serum C-reactive protein (s-CRP) and plasma homocysteine (tHcy) at baseline (T0) and post-intervention (T1). miR-146a array was used as an inflammatory biomarker. Post-intervention measures were analyzed at 4-weeks intervals and adjusted by baseline in a linear regression.
Docohexanoic acid (DHA), a dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty-acid omega-3 (n-3, PUFA), showed potential beneficial effects in reducing all-cause mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. This clinical trial aimed to analyze whether DHA supplementation was a modulator of erythropoietin (EPO) response and inflammation in hemodialysis (HD) patients.