Bioavailability of Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acids Added to a Variety of Sausages in Healthy Individuals

Abstract

A low Omega-3 Index (eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in erythrocytes) is associated with cardiac, cerebral, and other health issues. Intake of EPA and DHA, but not of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), increases the Omega-3 Index. We investigated bioavailability, safety, palatability and tolerability of EPA and DHA in a novel source: a variety of sausages. We screened 96 healthy volunteers, and recruited 44 with an Omega-3 Index <5%. Participants were randomly assigned to receive a variety of sausages enriched with approximately 250 mg EPA and DHA per 80 g (n = 22) daily for 8 weeks, or matching placebo sausages (n = 22). All sausages contained approximately 250 mg ALA/80 g. In the verum group, the mean Omega-3 Index increased from 4.18 ± 0.54 to 5.72 ± 0.66% (p < 0.001), while it remained unchanged in the placebo group. While ALA levels increased only in the placebo group, DPA levels increased in both groups. Inter-individual variability in the response was large. The mean increase of the Omega-3 Index per intake of EPA and DHA we observed was higher than for other sources previously studied, indicating superior bioavailability. As increasing production of EPA and DHA is difficult, improvements of bioavailability can facilitate reaching the target range for the Omega-3 Index (8–11%).

High Variability in Erythrocyte, Plasma and Whole Blood EPA and DHA Levels in Response to Supplementation

“…It is possible that non-responders have gene-related impaired mechanisms for the uptake of n-3 LCPUFA from plasma lipoproteins. This lack of response was reported previously by Köhler et al [17,18] An alternate explanation is that some individuals do not take their capsules for the study period, however this should show up on capsule recounts.…”

“…These results also support using an individualised dose of EPA and DHA in clinical trials, such that the target levels are reached prior to evaluating the outcomes of the trial [18,40].…”

“…It has previously been reported that there is considerable variability in the erythrocyte EPA+DHA levels in response to n-3 supplementation [18]. Others have also reported that this happens in plasma and platelets [25] and neutrophils [26].…”

“…Studies have shown that the biological variability was lower in erythrocytes than in plasma using kinetic studies [31,32]. Other studies reveal that the extent of response to the supplements range from 0.4% to 6% increases to no increase, and in some cases decreases in the levels of EPA+DHA [18,25]. Since these reports of variability have been reported from different laboratories and in different countries, it is possible to rule out methodological issues and ethnicity as likely causes.…”

“…There have been numerous trials investigating the effect of n-3 LCPUFA on various outcome measures, but only a few have reported the large individual variability in response to supplementation [17][18][19][20].…”