Effects of Fish Oil Supplementation on Markers of the Metabolic Syndrome
Received 13 October 2009; received in revised form 23 February 2010; accepted 5 April 2010. published online 17 May 2010.
Objective
To investigate whether fish oil affects cardiovascular risk factors during the adolescent growth spurt.
Study design
A total of 78 boys age 13-15 years with a mean body fat percentage of 30% ± 9% were randomly assigned to consume fish oil (providing 1.5 g of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid/day) or vegetable oil (control) for 16 weeks. The oils were included in bread.
Results
After the intervention, the red blood cell (RBC) content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were 1.2% ± 0.5% and 6.7% ± 1.6%, respectively, in the those receiving fish oil (FO group), compared with 0.6% ± 0.3% and 4.1% ± 0.9% in the control group. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 3.8 ± 1.4 mm Hg lower (P < .006) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was 2.6 ± 1.1 mm Hg lower (P < .01) in the FO group compared with the control group. Plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) concentration and insulin sensitivity were unaffected by either of the treatments. Plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and non-HDL cholesterol were increased by 5% and 7%, respectively, in the FO group, and by 2% and 0% in the control group (P < .01-.02). The changes in RBC EPA content were inversely correlated with the changes in SBP and DBP and directly correlated with the increases in HDL cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol concentrations. No association was seen between RBC EPA and plasma TAG concentration or insulin sensitivity.
Conclusion
Fish oil improves BP in normotensive and normolipidemic slightly overweight adolescent boys.
aDepartment of Human Nutrition, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
bDepartment of Systems Biology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
Reprint requests: Lotte Lauritzen, Copenhagen University, Department of Human Nutrition, Rolighedsvej 30, 1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
Supported by the Danish Council for Strategic Research. The intervention bread was sponsored by Kohberg A/S, which had no influence on the interpretation of the data or the writing of this article. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
ABSTRACT