title: EPA and DHA status of South Asian and white Canadians living in the National Capital Region of Canada.
abstract: To minimize the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), most dietary guidelines have recommended consuming 500 mg/day of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or two servings of oily fish/week. The sum of percent EPA and DHA in red blood cell (RBC) total fatty acids-termed the omega-3 index-has been proposed as a biomarker for assessing the risk of death from CVD. The omega-3 indices of ≤4, >4 to <8 and ≥8 % have been proposed to be associated with high, intermediate and low CVD risks, respectively. In this study, we determined the EPA + DHA intake level and the omega-3 index of South Asian Canadians (SAC; n = 308) and white Canadians (WC; n = 341) age 20-79 years living in the National Capital Region of Canada. The mean EPA + DHA intake levels were 569 ± 571 mg/day for SAC and 684 ± 865 mg/day for WC and 46 % of SAC and 43 % of WC met the recommended EPA + DHA intake level of 500 mg/day. The mean omega-3 indices were 6.6 and 5.9 % for SAC and WC respectively. The suggested cardio-protective target level for the omega-3 index of ≥8 % was observed only in 19.8 % of SAC and in 9.4 % of WC subjects. The majority of the participants (74.4 % of SAC and 82.7 % of WC) were in the >4 to <8 % range. These results suggest that although study participants' dietary intake of EPA + DHA is adequate, this intake was not sufficient to provide an omega-3 index that is considered cardio-protective.
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Research Division, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Health Canada, 251 Sir Frederick Banting Driveway, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0K9, Canada.
authors.forename: Reiko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nagasaka
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gagnon
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Swist
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rondeau
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Massarelli
authors.forename: Winnie
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Walisundera M N
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Ratnayake
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D044466:Asian People; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000517:prevention & control; D004032:Diet; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D009864:Ontario; D012307:Risk Factors; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid