Fish oil and contaminated fish oil reduce risk factors of cardiovascular disease in rats

Abstract

High levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) omega‐3 fatty acids are found in most fish oil and have demonstrated favorable cardiovascular health benefits with regular consumption. Increasing evidence suggests that fish may contain high levels of environmental contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). What is unclear is if the presence of PCBs in a fish oil supplement attenuates the benefits observed with cardiovascular health. This study examined the effect of fish oil contaminated with PCB (4000ng/ml fat) as compared to regular fish oil on cardiovascular disease risk factors. Thirty Sprague‐Dawley rats were divided into three groups and fed corn oil (CO), fish oil (FO), or contaminated fish oil (PCB) for nine weeks. The FO and PCB groups had significantly lower total TG, LDL‐cholesterol, and C‐reactive protein, and higher HDL‐cholesterol than the CO group (P<0.05). The FO group had lower values of lactate dehydrogenase in comparison to CO and PCB groups (P<0.05). These findings suggest that contaminated fish oil does not significantly affect cardiovascular health markers as compared to non‐contaminated fish oil. While PCB alone may affect human health, it may not adversely affect the physiological properties of fish oil. Longer duration and higher levels of contamination may benefit future studies. Supported by SDSU UGP and SDSU NUTR 302L class.