The Study
The effects of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E co-supplementation on gene expression of lipoprotein(a) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein, lipid profiles and biomarkers of oxidative stress in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.
This study gave some women with PCOS special pills and others fake pills, then checked if their blood changed. It found that the real pills made some bad blood markers go down. But it didn’t prove the pills fix PCOS—it just shows a short-term change in the lab.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Women with PCOS often have bad cholesterol and too much body stress. This study gave some women omega-3 (from flaxseed) and vitamin E pills for 12 weeks to see if it helped.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 570 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — these changes are clinically meaningful and suggest lower heart disease risk in women with PCOS.
- 2Omega-3 + vitamin E lowered bad cholesterol (LDL) by 16.7 mg/dL, triglycerides by 22.1 mg/dL, and body stress markers by 0.3 μmol/L, while boosting antioxidants by 89.4 mmol/L.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Molecular and cellular endocrinology
Year
2017
Authors
E. Rahmani, M. Samimi, Faraneh Afshar Ebrahimi, F. Foroozanfard, S. Ahmadi, M. Rahimi, M. Jamilian, E. Aghadavod, F. Bahmani, M. Taghizadeh, M. Memarzadeh, Z. Asemi
Related Content
Claims (5)
In women with polycystic ovary syndrome, taking 1000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids (including 400 mg alpha-linolenic acid) and 400 IU of vitamin E daily for 12 weeks reduces the activity of genes that produce lipoprotein(a) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein in immune cells from the blood.
In women with polycystic ovary syndrome, taking 1000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids and 400 IU of vitamin E daily for 12 weeks lowers serum triglycerides by 22.1 mg/dL, VLDL by 4.4 mg/dL, total cholesterol by 20.3 mg/dL, and LDL cholesterol by 16.7 mg/dL compared to a placebo.
In women with polycystic ovary syndrome, taking 1000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids and 400 IU of vitamin E daily for twelve weeks raises plasma antioxidant capacity by 89.4 mmol/L and lowers malondialdehyde by 0.3 μmol/L.
In women with polycystic ovary syndrome, taking omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E together for 12 weeks reduces levels of Lp(a) and Ox-LDL gene expression, improves lipid profiles, and lowers oxidative stress markers.
In women with polycystic ovary syndrome, taking 1000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids and 400 IU of vitamin E daily for 12 weeks lowers the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol by 0.5 units.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.