A large international study has found that taking fish oil daily can significantly reduce the risk of serious heart problems in people undergoing dialysis for kidney failure.
This new discovery could improve the lives of many patients who face very high risks of heart disease. The research was co-led in Australia by Monash Health and the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash University.
The study, called the PISCES trial, followed 1,228 people receiving dialysis at 26 hospitals and clinics in Australia and Canada. The results were presented at the 2025 American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week and published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
People in the study were divided into two groups. One group received four grams of fish oil each day. The fish oil contained natural omega-3 fatty acids known as EPA and DHA. The other group received a placebo that had no active ingredients.
After tracking the patients for a period of time, the results showed that those who took the fish oil had a 43 percent lower risk of major heart problems. These included heart attacks, strokes, heart-related deaths, and even amputations related to blood vessel issues.
Professor Kevan Polkinghorne, a kidney doctor at Monash Health, led the Australian part of the trial. He explained that people on dialysis are already at a very high risk for heart disease, and very few treatments have shown success in lowering that risk. This study stands out because most past research in this area has not been positive.
Professor Polkinghorne pointed out that dialysis patients tend to have much lower levels of omega-3s—specifically EPA and DHA—compared to people who are not on dialysis. This difference might explain why the fish oil supplement had such a strong benefit for this group.
However, the findings should not be misunderstood. Professor Polkinghorne emphasized that these results apply only to patients on dialysis. Healthy people or those with different medical conditions should not assume that taking fish oil will have the same effect. The treatment must be studied further before it can be recommended for other groups.
The Australian part of the study was supported by funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council. The overall trial was organized by the Australasian Kidney Trials Network. Around 200 Australian patients joined the trial, including 44 who were treated at Monash Health.
International leadership for the PISCES trial came from Professor Charmaine Lok and her research team at the University Health Network in Toronto and the University of Calgary.
This study brings new hope to people living with kidney failure who face not only the challenges of dialysis, but also the high risk of heart disease. It also highlights the importance of continuing clinical research into simple and widely available treatments that can make a real difference in people’s lives.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
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