HEALTH NEWS

Study Title:

Fish Oil Offsets Circulatory Distress of a High Fat Meal

Study Abstract

This study examined whether a commercially available fish-oil supplement offers protection from the acute effects of a high-fat meal (HFM) on endothelial function and arterial stiffness. An HFM causes acute impairments in endothelial function, whereas the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have a variety of cardioprotective effects. However, little is known about the efficacy of moderate fish-oil supplementation on the endothelial dysfunction induced by an HFM. Endothelial function (brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD)), forearm blood flow (FBF), total hyperemia, central and peripheral blood pressure, and central artery stiffness were assessed in 20 healthy men (n = 10) and women (n = 10) at rest and 4 h after an HFM supplemented with either placebo or ~1 g EPA and DHA. Brachial artery FMD normalized for shear rate was significantly impaired (p = 0.033) following the HFM with placebo but remained unchanged compared with baseline following the HFM with the fish-oil supplement (p = 0.039; condition x time interaction). Resting FBF (p = 0.020) and total hyperemia (p = 0.014) were elevated following the HFM. All other vascular and hemodynamic measurements were unchanged in both trials. Commercially available fish-oil supplements taken with an HFM appear to preserve endothelial function following an HFM.

Study Information

Fahs CA, Yan H, Ranadive S, Rossow LM, Agiovlasitis S, Wilund KR, Fernhall B.
The effect of acute fish-oil supplementation on endothelial function and arterial stiffness following a high-fat meal.
Appl Physiol Nutr Metab.
2010 June
Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1207 S. Oak Street, Champaign, IL 68121, USA.