High-fat meals rich in EPA plus DHA compared with DHA only have differential effects on postprandial lipemia and plasma 8-isoprostane F2α concentrations relative to a control high–oleic acid meal: a randomized controlled trial

doi:10.3945/ajcn.114.091223

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Volume 100, Issue 4, October 2014, Pages 1019-1028

https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.114.091223 Get rights and content

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ABSTRACT

Background:

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) plus docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation has beneficial cardiovascular effects, but postprandial influences of these individual fatty acids are unclear.

Objectives:

The primary objective was to determine the vascular effects of EPA + DHA compared with DHA only during postprandial lipemia relative to control high–oleic acid meals; the secondary objective was to characterize the effects of linoleic acid–enriched high-fat meals relative to the control meal.

Design:

We conducted a randomized, controlled, double-blind crossover trial of 4 high-fat (75-g) meals containing 1) high–oleic acid sunflower oil (HOS; control), 2) HOS + fish oil (FO; 5 g EPA and DHA), 3) HOS + algal oil (AO; 5 g DHA), and 4) high–linoleic acid sunflower oil (HLS) in 16 healthy men (aged 35–70 y) with higher than optimal fasting triacylglycerol concentrations (mean ± SD triacylglycerol, 1.9 ± 0.5 mmol/L).

Results:

Elevations in triacylglycerol concentration relative to baseline were slightly reduced after FO and HLS compared with the HOS control (P < 0.05). The characteristic decrease from baseline in plasma nonesterified fatty acids after a mixed meal was inhibited after AO (Δ 0–3 h, P < 0.05). HLS increased the augmentation index compared with the other test meals (P < 0.05), although the digital volume pulse–reflection index was not significantly different. Plasma 8-isoprostane F_2α analysis revealed opposing effects of FO (increased) and AO (reduced) compared with the control (P < 0.05). No differences in nitric oxide metabolites were observed.

Conclusions:

These data show differential postprandial 8-isoprostane F_2α responses to high-fat meals containing EPA + DHA–rich fish oil compared with DHA-rich AO, but these differences were not associated with consistent effects on postprandial vascular function or lipemia. More detailed analyses of polyunsaturated fatty acid–derived lipid mediators are required to determine possible divergent functional effects of single meals rich in either DHA or EPA. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01618071.

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^¹: From Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College (RP, SHL, KMB, and CPDW-J) and Diabetes & Nutritional Sciences Division (WLH), King’s College London, London, United Kingdom.

^²: Supported by a research grant (BB/1005862/1) from the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council as part of the Diet and Health Research Industry Club (DRINC) initiative (CPDW-J, principal investigator).

^³: WLH and CPDW-J are joint senior authors.

^⁴: Address correspondence to WL Hall, Diabetes & Nutritional Sciences Division, King’s College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, UK. E-mail: [email protected].

^⁵: Abbreviations used: AIx, augmentation index; AIx_ao, central augmentation index; AIx_br, peripheral augmentation index; AO, algal oil meal; CVD, cardiovascular disease; DVP, digital volume pulse; DVP-RI, digital volume pulse–reflection index; DVP-SI, digital volume pulse–stiffness index; FO, fish oil; HLS, high–linoleic acid sunflower oil; HOS, high–oleic acid sunflower oil; LC, long chain; NEFA, nonesterified fatty acid; NOx, nitric oxide metabolites.