Abstract41 students took either docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-rich oil capsules containing 1.5-1.8 grams DHA ր day (17 females and 5 males) or control oil capsules containing 97% soybean oil plus 3% fish oil (12 females and 7 males) for 3 mo in a double-blind fashion. They took a psychological test (P-F Study) and Stroop and dementia-detecting tests at the start and end of the study. The present study started at the end of summer vacation and ended in the middle of mental stress such as final exams. In the control group extraggression (aggression against others) in P-F Study was significantly increased at the end of the study as compared with that measured at the start ( ⌬ ϭ ϩ 8.9%, P ϭ 0.0022), whereas it was not significantly changed in the DHA group ( ⌬ ϭ Ϫ 1.0%). The 95% CI of differences between the DHA and control groups were Ϫ 16.8 to Ϫ 3.0%. DHA supplementation did not affect the Stroop and dementia-detecting tests. Thus, DHA intake prevented extraggression from increasing at times of mental stress. This finding might help understand how fish oils prevent disease like coronary heart disease.
A large number of papers have reported that administration of n-3 FA reduced serum TG concentrations in hypertriglyceridemic patients. However, few studies have examined the effect of n-3 FA on serum concentrations of remnant-like particle (RLP) cholesterol. Volunteers (n = 41) whose serum TG concentrations were 100-300 mg/dL were recruited and randomly assigned to either an n-3 FA group or a control group with stratification by sex, age, and serum TG level in a double-blind manner. The subjects in the n-3 FA group were administered 125 mL of fermented soybean milk with fish oil containing 600 mg of EPA and 260 mg of DHA/d for 12 wk. The controls consumed control soybean milk with olive oil. Fasting blood samples were obtained before the start of administration and at 4, 8, and 12 wk. EPA concentrations in red blood cells increased significantly in all but one subject in the n-3 FA group, with no significant changes in the control group. TG levels decreased more in the n-3 FA group than in the control group at weeks 4 (P < 0.05), 8 (P < 0.01), and 12 (P < 0.05) with their baseline as covariate. RLP cholesterol levels decreased more in the n-3 FA group than in the control at weeks 8 (P < 0.01) and 12 (P < 0.05) with their baseline as covariate. The groups did not differ in the other lipid levels. It is likely that n-3 long-chain FA may exert anti-atherosclerotic effects by lowering serum TG and RLP-cholesterol levels even at the dose of 860 mg/d.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.