title: Red blood cell oleic acid levels reflect olive oil intake while omega-3 levels reflect fish intake and the use of omega-3 acid ethyl esters: The Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell'Infarto Miocardico-Heart Failure trial.
abstract: The Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell'Infarto Miocardico-Heart Failure (GISSI-HF) study reported benefits of n-3 fatty acid (FA) treatment on cardiovascular (CV) events, but the effects of treatment on a putative CV disease risk factor, the red blood cell (RBC) n-3 FA level (the omega-3 index), have not been examined in this context. We hypothesized that treatment with prescription omega-3 acid ethyl esters (O3AEE) would increase the omega-3 index to the proposed cardioprotective value of 8%. RBCs were collected from a subset of patients participating in the GISSI-HF study (n=461 out of 6975 randomized), at baseline and after 3 months of treatment with either an olive oil placebo or O3AEE (1 g/d). RBC FA levels were expressed as a percentage of total FA. Patients also reported their typical olive oil and fish intakes. RBC oleic acid levels were directly correlated with reported frequency of olive oil consumption, and the omega-3 index was correlated with reported fish intake (P for trends <0.001 for both). After treatment, the omega-3 index increased from 4.8±1.7% to 6.7±1.9% but was unchanged in the placebo group (4.7±1.7 to 4.8±1.5%) (P<.0001 for changes between groups). At 3 months, more patients reached the proposed target omega-3 index level of 8%-12% in the treated vs placebo group (22.6% vs. 1.3%, P<.0001), however, what omega-3 index levels were ultimately achieved after four years in this trial are unknown.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, SD; OmegaQuant Analytics, LLC, Sioux Falls, SD. Electronic address: bill@omegaquant.com.
authors.forename: William S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Research, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri,", Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Masson
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Research, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri,", Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barlera
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Research, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri,", Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Milani
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Research, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri,", Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pileggi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Research, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri,", Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Franzosi
authors.affiliation: Therapeutic Science & Strategy Unit (TSSU), Quintiles, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marchioli
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Research, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri,", Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tognoni
authors.affiliation: Maria Cecilia Hospital, GVM Care & Research, Ettore Sansavini Health Science Foundation, Cotignola, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tavazzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Research, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri,", Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Latini
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D004952:Esters / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D031658:Olea; D019301:Oleic Acid / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000069463:Olive Oil / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D017747:Seafood
chemical_list: D004952:Esters; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D000069463:Olive Oil; D019301:Oleic Acid
keywords: Biomarker; Cardiovascular disease; Fish; Heart failure; Olive oil; Omega-3 fatty acids; Omega-3 index