Omega-3 supplements help reduce falls in older adults

Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids extends a modest benefit on the incidence of total falls among generally healthy, active, and vitamin D-replete older adults, while a daily high dose of vitamin D or a simple home exercise program (SHEP) offers no benefits.

A two-by-two-by-two factorial–design randomized controlled trial was conducted on 2,157 community-dwelling adults aged ≥70 years, who had no major health events in the 5 years prior to enrolment. Participants were recruited from Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, and Portugal between December 2012 and November 2014.

The investigators randomized these participants to supplementation with 2,000 IU/day of vitamin D₃ and/or 1 g/day of marine omega-3s, and/or a SHEP compared with placebo and/or control exercise over 3 years. The incidence rate of total falls was the primary endpoint. Falls were prospectively recorded throughout the trial.

The investigators reported the main effects based on a modified intent-to-treat analysis since no interactions were observed between treatments.

Of the participants, 1,900 (88 percent; mean age 74.9 years, 61.7 percent women, 40.7 percent had a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration <20 ng/ml, and 83 percent were at least moderately physically active) completed the trial.

A total of 3,333 falls were recorded over a median follow-up of 2.99 years. Vitamin D and SHEP conferred no benefit on total falls, but supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids reduced total falls by 10 percent (incidence rate ratio, 0.90, 95 percent CI, 0.81‒1.00; p=0.04) compared with no supplementation.