title: The effect of dietary n-3 fatty acids on serum concentrations of C-reactive protein: a dose-response study.
abstract: C-reactive protein (CRP) is a sensitive marker for low-grade inflammation. Long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have anti-inflammatory effects. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect on serum levels of CRP of n-3 PUFA at two different doses. We also investigated correlations between CRP and the cellular contents of PUFA. Sixty healthy volunteers (twenty-five women and thirty-five men) were randomly assigned to three treatment groups in a double-blind design. The subjects received a supplement of either 6.6 g n-3 PUFA/d, 2.0 g n-3 PUFA/d or placebo (olive oil) for 12 weeks. CRP was measured using a highly sensitive assay. The median serum CRP concentration was 0.78 mg/l. No significant correlations were found between CRP and the content of n-3 PUFA in granulocytes or platelets. Subjects receiving n-3 PUFA had a significant (P<0.01) increase in the cellular contents of 20 : 5n-3, 22 : 5n-3 and 22 : 6n-3, with the largest increase occurring in the group receiving 6.6 g PUFA/d. A significant (P<0.01) decrease in cellular content of 18 : 2n-6 and 20 : 4n-6 was observed simultaneously. Serum CRP concentrations, however, were unaffected by the PUFA-containing supplements. The present study shows that dietary supplementation with PUFA-containing supplements has no effect on serum concentrations of CRP, measured with a highly sensitive assay, in healthy subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Aalborg Hospital, Denmark. tmadsen@dadlnet.dk
authors.forename: Trine
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Madsen
authors.forename: Jeppe H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: Mogens
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blom
authors.forename: Erik B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004042:Dietary Fats, Unsaturated / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004042:Dietary Fats, Unsaturated; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D002097:C-Reactive Protein