title: What Is the Most Effective Way of Increasing the Bioavailability of Dietary Long Chain Omega-3 Fatty Acids--Daily vs. Weekly Administration of Fish Oil?
abstract: The recommendations on the intake of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA) vary from eating oily fish ("once to twice per week") to consuming specified daily amounts of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) ("250-500 mg per day"). It is not known if there is a difference in the uptake/bioavailability between regular daily consumption of supplementsvs. consuming fish once or twice per week. In this study, the bioavailability of a daily dose of n-3 LC-PUFA (Constant treatment), representing supplements, vs. a large weekly dose of n-3 LC-PUFA (Spike treatment), representing consuming once or twice per week, was assessed. Six-week old healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either a Constant treatment, a Spike treatment or Control treatment (no n-3 LC-PUFA), for six weeks. The whole body, tissues and faeces were analysed for fatty acid content. The results showed that the major metabolic fate of the n-3 LC-PUFA (EPA+docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) + DHA) was towards catabolism (β-oxidation) accounting for over 70% of total dietary intake, whereas deposition accounted less than 25% of total dietary intake. It was found that significantly more n-3 LC-PUFA were β-oxidised when originating from the Constant treatment (84% of dose), compared with the Spike treatment (75% of dose). Conversely, it was found that significantly more n-3 LC-PUFA were deposited when originating from the Spike treatment (23% of dose), than from the Constant treatment (15% of dose). These unexpected findings show that a large dose of n-3 LC-PUFA once per week is more effective in increasing whole body n-3 LC-PUFA content in rats compared with a smaller dose delivered daily.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong 3220, Australia. sghasemi@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Samaneh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghasemifard
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong 3220, Australia. andrew.sinclair@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Sinclair
authors.affiliation: Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research (CPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood 3125, Australia. Gunveen.Kaur@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Gunveen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kaur
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong 3220, Australia. paul.lewandowski@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lewandowski
authors.affiliation: School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Warrnambool 3280, Australia. giovanni.turchini@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Giovanni M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Turchini
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D001682:Biological Availability; D004032:Diet; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D006321:Heart; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005395:Fish Oils
keywords: DHA; DPA; EPA; bioavailability; frequency of intake; metabolic fate; tissue deposition