title: Low doses of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid from fish oil dose-dependently decrease serum triglyceride concentrations in the presence of plant sterols in hypercholesterolemic men and women.
abstract: Plant sterols (PSs) lower LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations, whereas the n-3 (ω-3) fish fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) lower triglyceride (TG) concentrations. Incorporating both PSs and EPA+DHA from fish oil (FO) in a single food format was expected to beneficially affect 2 blood lipid risk factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the dose-response relation between low doses (<2 g/d) of EPA+DHA from FO, incorporated in a low-fat PS-enriched spread, and TG concentrations. In addition, effects on LDL-C were investigated. The study was designed as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel study. After a 4-wk run-in period, subjects were randomly assigned to consume either a control (C) spread (no PSs, no FO) or 1 of 4 intervention spreads containing a fixed amount of PSs (2.5 g/d) and varying amounts of FO (0.0, 0.9, 1.3, and 1.8 g/d of EPA+DHA) for 4 wk. Before and after the intervention, fasting blood samples were drawn for measuring serum lipids and EPA and DHA in erythrocyte membranes. In total, 85 hypercholesterolemic men and 247 women with a mean age of 57.9 y (range: 25-74 y) were included. Eighteen subjects dropped out during the study. At baseline, mean TG and LDL-C concentrations were 1.09 and 4.00 mmol/L, respectively. After the intervention, a significant dose-response relation for the TG-lowering effect of EPA+DHA [βln (TG) = -0.07 mmol/L per gram of EPA+DHA; P < 0.01] was found. Compared with the C group, TG concentrations were 9.3-16.2% lower in the different FO groups (P < 0.05 for all groups). LDL-C concentrations were 11.5-14.7% lower in the different PS groups than in the C group (P < 0.01 for all groups). EPA and DHA in erythrocyte membranes were dose-dependently higher after FO intake than after the C spread, indicating good compliance. Consumption of a low-fat spread enriched with PSs and different low doses of n-3 fatty acids from FO decreased TG concentrations in a dose-dependent manner and decreased LDL-C concentrations. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01313988.
authors.affiliation: Unilever Research and Development Vlaardingen, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands rouyanne.ras@unilever.com.
authors.forename: Rouyanne T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Ras
authors.affiliation: Unilever Research and Development Vlaardingen, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Demonty
authors.affiliation: Unilever Research and Development Vlaardingen, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Yvonne E M P
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Zebregs
authors.affiliation: Quadt Consultancy B.V., Oostvoorne, The Netherlands; and.
authors.forename: Johan F A
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Quadt
authors.affiliation: Food Files (formerly known as Good Food Practice), Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olsson
authors.affiliation: Unilever Research and Development Vlaardingen, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Elke A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Trautwein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D004032:Diet; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood*; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010840:Phytosterols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D005395:Fish Oils; D010840:Phytosterols; D014280:Triglycerides; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid