Journal of Internal Medicine, 11/03/2015
Muldoon MF, et al.

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. 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. 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.

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).

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