Effect of marine n-3 fatty acids on circulating inflammatory markers in healthy subjects and subjects with cardiovascular risk factors

Abstract

ObjectiveThe aim of the present paper was to review the literature in order to summarize the effects of marine n-3 fatty acids on circulating inflammatory markers among healthy subjects, subjects with high risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and in patients with CVD in human intervention studies.MethodsA systematic literature search in PubMed was performed. Intervention studies describing the effects of marine n-3 fatty acids on circulating inflammatory markers in healthy subjects, subjects with high risk of CVD and patients with CVD were included. The following exclusion criteria were used: (1) interventions assessing inflammatory markers with ex vivo methods (2) interventions with children (3) articles describing animal or cell culture studies. Twenty-two articles were included. Additionally, 13 papers from their literature lists were included based on the same inclusion and exclusion criteria as the literature search.Results and conclusionIntervention studies with marine n-3 fatty acids administered from either fish or fish oil demonstrate different results on inflammatory markers. No firm conclusion can be drawn about the effect of marine n-3 fatty acids on circulating inflammatory markers in healthy individuals, individuals with high risk of developing CVD or individuals with CVD related diseases.

A diet high in fatty fish, bilberries and wholegrain products improves markers of endothelial function and inflammation in individuals with impaired glucose metabolism in a randomised controlled trial: The Sysdimet study

“…However, data from intervention trials on the beneficial effects of fish intake on surrogate markers of endothelial function are controversial [33]. The source of EPA+DHA may also be important, as fish-based diets have been proposed to have a more beneficial effect than fish oil supplements on circulating inflammatory markers [34]. Although a greater increase in the intake of ALA was associated with an increase in E-selectin levels, this association was not reflected at the plasma level, so this result must be treated with caution.…”

A randomized, crossover, head-to-head comparison of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid supplementation to reduce inflammation markers in men and women: the Comparing EPA to DHA (ComparED) Study

“…Previous RCTs on the topic have yielded inconsistent results because of a number of experimental and methodologic factors (5,23). First and foremost, most of the available RCTs in healthy subjects or in subjects who were at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) investigated the effect of LCn-3PUFAs on inflammation markers as a secondary outcome and not as the primary outcome.…”

“…EPA enhances the synthesis of the E-series resolvins, whereas DHA leads to the production of the D-series resolvins in addition to enhancing the synthesis of protectins and maresins, all of which may have different antiinflammatory properties. Although relatively well characterized in cell and animal models (31), the potentially distinct contributions of resolvins from EPA and protectins and maresins from DHA on inflammation processes have not been well characterized in vivo in humans (4,23).…”

Effect of Marine-Derived n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on C-Reactive Protein, Interleukin 6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor α: A Meta-Analysis

“…The lack of consistency of results among different studies leads to a poor understanding of the association between n-3 PUFAs and inflammation. Two previous studies viewed the effect of marine-derived n-3 PUFAs on inflammatory makers, but no firm conclusion was drawn due to the contradiction of results from different studies [23], [24]. One previous meta-analysis assessed the effect of fish oil consumption on circulation levels of inflammatory markers, and found a significant lowering effect on CRP and IL-6 [25] in subjects with chronic heart failure.…”