Enhanced increase of omega-3 index in healthy individuals with response to 4-week n-3 fatty acid supplementation from krill oil versus fish oil

Abstract

BackgroundDue to structural differences, bioavailability of krill oil, a phospholipid based oil, could be higher than fish oil, a triglyceride-based oil, conferring properties that render it more effective than fish oil in increasing omega-3 index and thereby, reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.ObjectiveThe objective was to assess the effects of krill oil compared with fish oil or a placebo control on plasma and red blood cell (RBC) fatty acid profile in healthy volunteers.Participants and methodsTwenty four healthy volunteers were recruited for a double blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. The study consisted of three treatment phases including krill or fish oil each providing 600 mg of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) or placebo control, corn oil in capsule form. Each treatment lasted 4 wk and was separated by 8 wk washout phases.ResultsKrill oil consumption increased plasma (p = 0.0043) and RBC (p = 0.0011) n-3 PUFA concentrations, including EPA and DHA, and reduced n-6:n-3 PUFA ratios (plasma: p = 0.0043, RBC: p = 0.0143) compared with fish oil consumption. Sum of EPA and DHA concentrations in RBC, the omega-3 index, was increased following krill oil supplementation compared with fish oil (p = 0.0143) and control (p < 0.0001). Serum triglycerides and HDL cholesterol concentrations did not change with any of the treatments. However, total and LDL cholesterol concentrations were increased following krill (TC: p = 0.0067, LDL: p = 0.0143) and fish oil supplementation (TC: p = 0.0028, LDL: p = 0.0143) compared with control.ConclusionsConsumption of krill oil was well tolerated with no adverse events. Results indicate that krill oil could be more effective than fish oil in increasing n-3 PUFA, reducing n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio, and improving the omega-3 index.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01323036

EPA and DHA Status of South Asian and White Canadians Living in the National Capital Region of Canada

“…Overall, this proposed cardio-protective level was only met by 19.8 % SAC and 9.4 % WC. The majority of the participants of this study (74.4 % of SAC and 82.7 % of WC) were in the[4 to\8 % omega-3 index range, which is considered to be associated with intermediate risk for CHD [11].The omega-3 indices reported here for SAC and WC are in line with those reported by Ramprasath et al [36] for 24 healthy volunteers who were on a fish oil intervention study in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The mean omega-3 index of participants in our study who were non-fish/shellfish eaters and who were also not taking fish oil supplements was 4.6 % for SAC and 4.2 % for WC.…”

“…The mean omega-3 index of participants in our study who were non-fish/shellfish eaters and who were also not taking fish oil supplements was 4.6 % for SAC and 4.2 % for WC. These values are close to the baseline value of 5 % observed for the Winnipeg subjects [36]. In the Winnipeg study, participants did not consume any fish oil supplements 6 months prior to the study nor did they consume more than one fish serving per month during the month prior to the start of the study.…”

“…It has been shown in animals [46][47][48] and in humans [49] that DHA in a phospholipid form is more efficiently absorbed and delivered to tissues compared to DHA in a triglyceride form. In line with these findings, Ramprasath et al [36] showed that in humans, krill oil consumption results in an elevated omega-3 index compared with consumption of fish oil and control oil treatments. This demonstrated the efficiency and bioavailability of EPA and DHA from krill oil over fish oil.…”

“…The actual EPA ? DHA intake levels were not reported by Ramprasath et al [36], but from the fatty acid data reported, we estimated that during the intervention period, the participants in the krill oil treatment group and fish oil treatment group were consuming approximately 515 and 470 mg/day, respectively. After the intervention, the omega-3 index increased to 5.97 and 5.43 % for those on krill oil and fish oil, respectively.…”

Fatty acids and astaxanthin composition of two edible native Mexican crayfish <em>Cambarellus (C.) montezumae</em> and <em>Procambarus (M.) bouvieri</em>

“…The contents of LA in our studied crayfish were high, contrasting with those of seafood that are characterized by low levels of n-6 and high levels of n-3 (Valfré et al, 2003). There is evidence that EPA and DHA in the PL form ingested directly possess high bioavailability in humans (Konagai et al, 2013;Cook et al, 2016), and that consumption of krill oil increases these long chain EFA concentrations in plasma and blood cells (Ramprasath et al, 2013). The n-3/n-6 ratio values for C. (C.) montezumae (1.26 ± 0.03) was of higher magnitude than that of the TM (1.18±0.04) (p<0.05).…”