Genetic risk prediction of the plasma triglyceride response to independent supplementations with eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids: the ComparED Study

Janie Allaire,Frédéric Guénard,Juan De Toro-Martín,Marie-Claude Vohl,Bastien Vallée Marcotte,Patrick Couture,Benoît Lamarche

doi:10.1186/s12263-020-00669-x

Abstract

BackgroundWe previously built a genetic risk score (GRS) highly predictive of the plasma triglyceride (TG) response to an omega-3 fatty acid (n-3 FA) supplementation from marine sources. The objective of the present study was to test the potential of this GRS to predict the plasma TG responsiveness to supplementation with either eicosapentaenoic (EPA) or docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids in the Comparing EPA to DHA (ComparED) Study.MethodsThe ComparED Study is a double-blind, controlled, crossover trial, with participants randomized to three supplemented phases of 10 weeks each: (1) 2.7 g/day of DHA, (2) 2.7 g/day of EPA, and (3) 3 g/day of corn oil (control), separated by 9-week washouts. The 31 SNPs used to build the previous GRS were genotyped in 122 participants of the ComparED Study using TaqMan technology. The GRS for each participant was computed by summing the number of rare alleles. Ordinal and binary logistic models, adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index, were used to calculate the ability of the GRS to predict TG responsiveness.ResultsThe GRS predicted TG responsiveness to EPA supplementation (p = 0.006), and a trend was observed for DHA supplementation (p = 0.08). The exclusion of participants with neutral TG responsiveness clarified the association patterns and the predictive capability of the GRS (EPA, p = 0.0003, DHA p = 0.01).ConclusionResults of the present study suggest that the constructed GRS is a good predictor of the plasma TG response to supplementation with either DHA or EPA.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01810003. The study protocol was registered on March 4, 2013.

Highlights

Supplements of omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FA) from marine sources, namely eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids (EPA and DHA), can be used as an effective, safe, and accessible treatment option for hypertriglyceridemia [1,2,3,4,5]
Considering that TG levels are modulated by a wide variety of factors, and that the physiopathology of hypertriglyceridemia is quite complex, genetic factors implicated in the regulation of TG levels and the TG response to an n-3 FA supplementation may be various and abundant as well [10,11,12,13]
In the Fatty Acid Sensor (FAS) Study, we built a genetic risk score (GRS) that is highly predictive of the plasma TG response to an n-3 FA supplementation (1.9–2.2 g of EPA and 1.1 g of DHA) in a sample of French Canadians from the province of Quebec (Canada) [18]

Summary

Introduction

Supplements of omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FA) from marine sources, namely eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids (EPA and DHA), can be used as an effective, safe, and accessible treatment option for hypertriglyceridemia [1,2,3,4,5]. In the Fatty Acid Sensor (FAS) Study, we built a GRS that is highly predictive of the plasma TG response to an n-3 FA supplementation (1.9–2.2 g of EPA and 1.1 g of DHA) in a sample of French Canadians from the province of Quebec (Canada) [18]. This GRS explained 49.7% of the variance of the TG response [18]. The objective of the present study was to test the potential of this GRS to predict the plasma TG responsiveness to supplementation with either eicosapentaenoic (EPA) or docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids in the Comparing EPA to DHA (ComparED) Study

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion