Abstract
Omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LCPUFA) supplementation has been shown to improve plasma lipid profiles in men and post-menopausal women, however, data for pre-menopausal women are lacking. The benefits of intakes less than 1 g/day have not been well studied, and dose–response data is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of low doses of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-rich tuna oil on plasma triglyceride (TG) lowering in pre-menopausal women, and investigate if low dose DHA-rich tuna oil supplementation would increase the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particle sizes. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted, in which 53 healthy pre-menopausal women with mildly elevated plasma TG levels consumed 0, 0.35, 0.7, or 1 g/day n-3 LCPUFA as HiDHA™ tuna oil or placebo (Sunola oil) capsules for 8 weeks. Supplementation with 1 g/day n-3 LCPUFA, but not lower doses, reduced plasma TG by 23% in pre-menopausal women. This was reflected in a dose-dependent reduction in very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)-TG (R2 = 0.20, p = 0.003). A weak dose-dependent shift in HDL (but not LDL) particle size was identified (R2 = 0.05, p = 0.04). The results of this study indicate that DHA-rich n-3 LCPUFA supplementation at a dose of 1 g/day is an effective TG-lowering agent and increases HDL particle size in pre-menopausal women.
Highlights
The ability of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LCPUFA) to reduce plasma triglycerides is well established [1,2], and high dose prescriptions of n-3 LCPUFA are commercially available for treatment of hypertriglyceridemia [3]
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) appear to lower plasma triglyceride (TG) to a similar extent [5], DHA seems to be more effective in producing beneficial changes to low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particle sizes [5,6,7,8]
Fifty-three subjects were included in the final analysis of blood pressure and all lipid and lipoprotein compositions, and 29 were included in analysis of LDL and HDL particle size
Summary
The ability of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LCPUFA) to reduce plasma triglycerides is well established [1,2], and high dose prescriptions of n-3 LCPUFA are commercially available for treatment of hypertriglyceridemia [3]. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) appear to lower plasma triglyceride (TG) to a similar extent [5], DHA seems to be more effective in producing beneficial changes to LDL and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particle sizes [5,6,7,8]. Nutrients 2018, 10, 1460; doi:10.3390/nu10101460 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients (>3 g/day) of n-3 LCPUFA on plasma lipids and lipoproteins are well-established, much less is known about the benefits of lower doses (
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