SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutritional Immunology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1639906
The Effect of Omega-3 Supplementation on Metabolic, Inflammatory and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Provisionally accepted
Mohamed J Saadh1
Zahraa Sabah Ghnim2*Morug Salih Mahdi3Lalji Baldaniya4Sairah Abdul Karim5Manish Srivastava6Deepak Bhanot7Jasur Rizaev8Waam Mohammed Taher9Mariem Alwan10Jasem Jawad11Atheer Khdyair Hamad10- 1Middle East University, Amman, Jordan
- 2Iraq University College, Basrah, Iraq
- 3Ahl Al Bayt University, Karbala, Iraq
- 4Marwadi University, Rajkot, India
- 5Universiti Selangor, Shah Alam, Malaysia
- 6University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India
- 7University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
- 8Samarkand State Medical University, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
- 9Directorate General of Education in Dhi Qar, Nasiriyah, Iraq
- 10Al-Farahidi University, Baghdad, Iraq
- 11Al-Zahrawi University College, Karbala, Iraq
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Background: This meta-analysis evaluates the effects of omega-3 supplementation on metabolic, inflammatory, and oxidative stress in pregnancy women by synthesizing findings from randomized controlled trials (RCTs), as existing evidence remains inconclusive.Methods: A systematic search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science until July 2024. Random-effects models were applied to estimate each outcome's standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).Results: A total of 14 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The duration of omega-3 supplementation ranged from 6 to 29 weeks. Omega-3 supplementation did not have a significant effect on FBS (SMD = -0.74, 95% CI: -1.94, 0.45), and insulin (SMD = -0.76, 95% CI: -1.77, 0.24), TC (SMD = 0.11, 95% CI: -0.20, 0.42), and LDL-C (SMD = 0.32, 95% CI: -0.17, 0.81), IL-6 (SMD = 2.12, 95% CI: -0.56, 4.80), MDA (SMD = -1.67, 95% CI: -3.39, 0.05), and TAC (SMD = 2.59, 95% CI: -0.37, 5.54). However, triglyceride (SMD = -0.96, 95% CI: -1.77, -0.16) and CRP (SMD = -0.98, 95% CI: -1.86, -0.11) significantly decreased, and HDL-C cholesterol levels significantly increased (SMD = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.21, 1.22) following omega-3 supplementation.This study suggests omega-3 supplementation may improve lipid profiles and reduce inflammatory biomarkers during pregnancy. However, the presence of heterogeneity across trials highlights the need for further well-conducted studies. Thus, findings should be interpreted with caution.
Keywords: omega-3, Pregnancy, Lipid, Inflammation, Oxidative Stress
Received: 02 Jun 2025; Accepted: 25 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Saadh, Sabah Ghnim, Salih Mahdi, Baldaniya, Karim, Srivastava, Bhanot, Rizaev, Taher, Alwan, Jawad and Hamad. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zahraa Sabah Ghnim, Iraq University College, Basrah, Iraq
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