omega-3 fatty acids and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

background: omega-3 fatty acids have established beneficial effects for cardiovascular disease. the use of omega-3 supplements for patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (nafld) was proposed. the purpose of this study was to review the relationship between omega-3 fatty acids intake and nafld. methods: in this study, the terms such as nafld, omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexanoic acid, and eicosapentanoic acid were searched in pubmed search engine. 15 studies on nafld and omega-3 were found. four of these studies were not fully available. three studies were not strong in terms of design. therefore, 8 studies were chosen. findings: the results showed that omega-3 is a regulator of gene expression in the liver. human studies have established that consumption of omega-3 have a role in reducing the hepatic steatosis, improving insulin sensitivity and decrease the inflammatory marker. more clinical trials should be conducted to confirm these findings. conclusion: omega-3 fatty acids may improve symptoms associated with nafld, but more studies should be done in this area.