Fish oil supplementation does not lower C-reactive protein or interleukin-6 levels in healthy adults.
J Intern Med
; 279(1): 98-109, 2016 Jan.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26497831
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may prevent a range of chronic conditions through anti-inflammatory actions. However, as clinical trials using these fatty acids for primary prevention are yet unavailable, their putative role in disease prevention rests, in part, on evidence of anti-inflammatory actions in healthy individuals.OBJECTIVE:
To investigate in a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial whether supplementation with a moderate dose of EPA+DHA reduces common biomarkers of chronic, systemic inflammation in healthy individuals.METHODS:
A total of 261 healthy individuals aged 30-54 years who were free of inflammatory conditions and consumed ≤ 300 mg per day EPA+DHA were included in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to 18 weeks of either fish oil supplementation providing 1400 mg per day EPA+DHA or matching placebo. Outcome measures were serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6. In a substudy, ex vivo cytokine production was measured. Missing data for CRP and IL-6 were estimated using regression imputation. Data analyses conformed to intention-to-treat principles.RESULTS:
Participant blinding was verified. Red blood cell EPA+DHA increased by 64% in the active treatment group, but serum CRP and IL-6 were not affected by supplementation (P ≥ 0.20). Findings were consistent with and without imputed values and across subgroups. Similarly, EPA+DHA supplementation did not alter ex vivo production of four pro-inflammatory cytokines (P ≥ 0.20).CONCLUSIONS:
Supplementation with 1400 mg EPA+DHA did not reduce common markers of systemic inflammation in healthy adults. Whether this or a higher dose affects other measures of inflammation, oxidative stress or immune function warrants examination.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
C-Reactive Protein
/
Fish Oils
/
Interleukin-6
/
Dietary Supplements
Type of study:
Clinical_trials
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
J Intern Med
Journal subject:
MEDICINA INTERNA
Year:
2016
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States