Supplementation With Omega-3: Mechanism of Action

Observational studies have shown that fish consumption is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and clinical trials have demonstrated that fish oil nutritional supplementation is associated with improvement in cardiometabolic risk factor profiles including fasting triglycerides and blood pressure. However, the mechanisms of action of fish oils are not well understood. Specifically, the effects of different compositions in terms of the ratio of the fatty acids EPA and DHA are not known. We are proposing a pilot and feasibility study of fish oil nutritional supplementation in 40 healthy adult participants with two different commercially available fish oil (high EPA/DHA ratio, high DHA/EPA ratio, sample of 20 per group) with the hypothesis that 4 weeks of supplementation with fish oil results in differential changes in platelet function, blood pressure and fasting triglyceride levels . We will also bank blood and urine for future mechanistic studies. This pilot study will allow us to collect preliminary data for definitive mechanistic studies of the effects of fish oil supplementation and to demonstrate the feasibility of this protocol.