The bleeding time effects of a single dose of aspirin in subjects receiving omega-3 fatty acid dietary supplementation.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized crossover trial
PubMed 2010565 · doi:10.1002/j.1552-4604.1991.tb03706.x
What was done
In a double-blind controlled crossover trial, 12 healthy adults were randomized to receive 21 days of dietary supplementation with 8 g of omega-3 fatty acids daily or identical-looking olive oil capsules. Bleeding times were measured before and after administration of a single 325-mg aspirin tablet at the end of each treatment period.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values. Percent change in bleeding time before aspirin administration was significantly prolonged with omega-3 supplementation compared to olive oil supplementation, but not after aspirin administration. Post-aspirin bleeding times after omega-3 supplementation were prolonged compared to baseline, but not significantly prolonged when compared with post-aspirin values after olive oil. Randomization order significantly influenced bleeding times.
Why it matters
This trial suggests that a single dose of aspirin taken alongside high-dose omega-3 fatty acid supplementation does not produce an additive prolongation of bleeding time relative to control oil.
Limits
The study was very small (12 subjects) and evaluated only healthy adults. It assessed a single acute dose of aspirin rather than chronic co-administration, evaluated bleeding time rather than clinical bleeding events, exhibited a significant sequence or order effect, and presented no raw numbers or variance metrics in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports High-dose omega-3 supplementation reduces platelet aggregation and lengthens bleeding time to an extent comparable to aspirin.