Researchers at the Fatty Acid Research Institute (FARI), along with collaborators at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and in Orange County, CA, recently posted a report in the journal MedRxiv documenting a pilot study which observed a potential link between low omega-3 index levels (insufficient circulating levels of EPA and DHA) and an elevated risk of death from COVID-19 infection. The paper is still undergoing peer review.
 
While several medical reviews have hypothesized a potential benefit from omega-3s to patients with a COVID-19 infection, no observational studies have been published to date in support of that hypothesis.
 
The present study included 100 patients who were hospitalized for COVID-19, whose admission blood samples had been stored. The clinical outcomes for these patients were obtained and their blood was analyzed for the Omega-3 Index at OmegaQuant Analytics. Fourteen of the patients died from the infection.
 
The 100 patients were grouped into four quartiles according to their omega-3 indices, and each quartile had 25% of the patients. There was one death in the top quartile, which was comprised of 25 patients with omega-3 indices of greater than 5.7%. The other 13 patients who died were within the group of 75 patients with omega-3 indices less than 5.7%.
 
The researchers used age-and-sex adjusted regression analyses before concluding that those in the highest quartile were 75% less likely to die compared with those in the lower three quartiles, representing a four-times greater risk of death in patients whose omega-3 indices were not in the highest quartile.
 
“While not meeting standard statistical significance thresholds, this pilot study – along with multiple lines of evidence regarding the anti-inflammatory effects of EPA and DHA – strongly suggests that these nutritionally available marine fatty acids may help reduce risk for adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Larger studies are clearly needed to confirm these preliminary findings,” Arash Asher, MD, lead author of the study, said.
 
“An excessive inflammatory response, referred to as a cytokine storm, is a fundamental mediator of severe COVID-19 illness,” James H. O’Keefe, Jr., MD, said. Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) have potent anti-inflammatory activities, and this pilot study provides suggestive evidence that these fatty acids may dampen COVID-19’s cytokine storm.”
 
The research team is currently seeking funding to expand upon these preliminary observations, and is accepting donations through FARI.