Effect of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on inflammation and metabolic markers
in hypertensive and/or diabetic obese adults: a randomized controlled trial
Sammanfattning
Background: Obesity is a degree of excess weight that predisposes people to metabolic
syndromes via an inflammatory mechanism. Hypertensive and diabetic people have higher risks of
developing systemic inflammation. Long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC ?-3 PUFAs)
can reduce the cardiovascular events and help against inflammation.
Objective: To identify the effects of LC ?-3 PUFAs on reducing the levels of inflammatory markers on
hypertensive and/or diabetic obese adults.
Materials and methods: Sixty-four patients, who were hypertensive and/or diabetic obese with high
levels of inflammatory markers, from primary healthcare centers of Gaza City, Palestine, enrolled in
two groups of an open-label, parallel, randomized, controlled trial for 8 weeks. Thirty-three patients
were in the control group, and 31 patients were in the experimental group. The experimental group
was treated with a daily dose of 300 mg eicosapentaenoic acid and 200 mg of docosahexaenoic acid.
Results: Treatment with LC ?-3 PUFAs significantly reduced the level of high sensitivity C reactive
protein (hs-CRP) [14.78±10.7 to 8.49±6.69 mg/L, p<0.001], fasting blood glucose (FBG) [178.13±58.54
to 157.32±59.77 mg/dL, p=0.024], and triglyceride (TG) [209.23±108.3 to 167.0±79.9 mg/dL, p<0.05]
after 8 weeks of treatment, whereas no significant changes appeared in interleukin 6 (IL-6) and total
cholesterol (TC). In the control group, significant reduction was detected for FBG [187.15±64.8 to
161.91±37.9 mg/dL, p<0.05] and TG [202.91±107.0 to 183.45±95.82 mg/dL, p<0.05], and no changes
for hs-CRP, IL-6, or TC. By comparing the experimental group with the changes of control group at the
endpoint, LC ?-3 PUFAs did not reach the clinical significance in treating effectiveness for any of the
clinical variables.
Conclusion: LC ?-3 PUFAs have recommended effects on health; the obtained results can improve the
role of LC ?-3 PUFAs as a protective factor on inflammation and metabolic dysregulation. The time
allowed or the dose used could be insufficient to achieve full treatment affectivity.