A practical approach to increasing intakes of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids: use of novel foods enriched with n-3 fats (original) (raw)

• Original Communication
• Published: 28 November 2003

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 57, pages 1605–1612 (2003)Cite this article

• 4319 Accesses
• 3 Altmetric
• Metrics details

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the effects of providing a wide range of foodstuffs containing n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), occurring naturally or from fortification, on intake and blood and tissue proportions of n-3 PUFA.

Design: Before/after dietary intervention study.

Setting: Adelaide, Australia.

Subjects: 16 healthy males recruited from the community.

Interventions: Subjects were provided with a range of foodstuffs naturally containing n-3 PUFA (fresh fish, canned fish, flaxseed meal, canola oil) and items fortified with fish oil (margarine spread, milk, sausages, luncheon meat, french onion dip). Food choices were left to the discretion of each subject. Intake was estimated by diet diary. Blood was collected at—2, 0, 2, and 4 weeks for fatty acid analysis.

Main outcome measures: Dietary intakes; plasma, platelet, and mononuclear cell phospholipid fatty acids.

Results: Consumption of n-3 PUFA increased significantly: _α_-linolenic acid (ALA) from 1.4 to 4.1 g/day (P<0.001), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) from 0.03 to 0.51 g/day (P<0.001), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from 0.09 to 1.01 g/day (P<0.001). Linoleic acid (LA) intake decreased from 13.1 to 9.2 g/day (P<0.001). The proportions of EPA and DHA increased significantly in all phospholipid pools examined; plasma EPA from 1.13% of total fatty acids to 3.38% (P<0.001) and DHA from 3.76 to 7.23% (P<0.001); mononuclear cell EPA from 0.40 to 1.25% (P<0.001) and DHA from 2.33 to 4.08% (P<0.001); platelet EPA from 0.41 to 1.2% (P<0.001) and DHA from 1.64 to 3.07% (P<0.001).

Conclusions: Incorporating fish oil into a range of novel commercial foods provides the opportunity for wider public consumption of n-3 PUFA with their associated health benefits.

Sponsorship: Dawes Scholarship, Royal Adelaide Hospital.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Subscribe to this journal

Receive 12 print issues and online access

$259.00 per year

only $21.58 per issue

Buy this article

• Purchase on SpringerLink
• Instant access to full article PDF

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Additional access options:

• Log in
• Learn about institutional subscriptions
• Read our FAQs
• Contact customer support

Similar content being viewed by others

References

• Ascherio A, Rimm EB, Giovannucci EL, Spiegelman D, Stampfer M & Willett WC (1996): Dietary fat and risk of coronary heart disease in men: cohort follow up study in the United States. BMJ 313, 84–90.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Cleland LG & James MJ (2000): Fish oil and rheumatoid arthritis: antiinflammatory and collateral health benefits. J. Rheumatol. 27, 2305–2307.
  CAS PubMed Google Scholar
• Cleland LG, James MJ, Neumann MA, D'Angelo M & Gibson RA (1992): Linoleate inhibits EPA incorporation from dietary fish-oil supplements in human subjects. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 55, 395–399.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Cunnane SC, Hamadeh MJ, Liede AC, Thompson LU, Wolever TM & Jenkins DJ (1995): Nutritional attributes of traditional flaxseed in healthy young adults. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 61, 62–68.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Das UN (2000): Beneficial effect(s) of n-3 fatty acids in cardiovascular diseases: but, why and how? Prostaglandins Leukot. Essent. Fatty Acids 63, 351–362.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• de Deckere EA, Korver O, Verschuren PM & Katan MB (1998): Health aspects of fish and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from plant and marine origin. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 52, 749–753.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• de Lorgeril M, Renaud S, Mamelle N, Salen P, Martin JL, Monjaud I, Guidollet J, Touboul P and Delaye J (1994): Mediterranean alpha-linolenic acid-rich diet in secondary prevention of coronary heart disease. Lancet 343, 1454–1459.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Dolecek TA & Granditis G (1991): Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and mortality in the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT). World Rev. Nutr. Diet. 66, 205–216.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Emken EA, Adlof RO & Gulley RM (1994): Dietary linoleic acid influences desaturation and acylation of deuterium-labeled linoleic and linolenic acids in young adult males. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1213, 277–288.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Gerster H (1998): Can adults adequately convert alpha-linolenic acid (18/3n-3) to eicosapentaenoic acid (20/5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (22/6n-3). Int. J. Vitam. Nutr. Res. 68, 159–173.
  CAS PubMed Google Scholar
• Hu FB, Manson JE & Willett WC (2001): Types of dietary fat and risk of coronary heart disease: a critical review. J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 20, 5–19.
  Article Google Scholar
• Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Manson JAE, Rimm EB, Wolk A, Colditz CA, Hannekens CH and Willett WC (1999): Dietary intake of alpha-linolenic acid and risk of fatal ischemic heart disease among women. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 69, 890–897.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Kris-Etherton P, Harris WS & Appel LJ (2002): AHA Scientific Statement: Fish consumption, fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids, and cardiovascular disease. Circulation 106, 2747–2757.
  Article Google Scholar
• Lovegrove JA, Brooks CN, Murphy MC, Gould BJ & Williams CM (1997): Use of manufactured foods enriched with fish oils as a means of increasing long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake. Br. J. Nutr. 78, 223–236.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Mantzioris E, Cleland LG, Gibson RA, Neumann MA, Demasi M & James MJ (2000): Biochemical effects of a diet containing foods enriched with n-3 fatty acids. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 72, 42–48.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Mantzioris E, James MJ, Gibson RA & Cleland LG (1994): Dietary substitution with an alpha-linolenic acid-rich vegetable oil increases eicosapentaenoic acid concentrations in tissues. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 59, 1304–1309.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Naylor RL, Goldburg RJ, Primavera JH, Kautsky N, Beveridge MCM, Clay J, Foke C, Lubchenco J, Mooney H and Troell M, (2000): Effect of aquaculture on world fish supplies. Nature 405, 1017–1024.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Saldeen T, Wallin R & Marklinder I (1998): Effects of a small dose of stable fish oil substituted for margarine in bread on plasma phospholipid fatty acids and serum triglycerides. Nutr. Res. 18, 1483–1492.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Scientific Review Committee (1990): Nutrition Recommendations. Ottawa: Minister of National Health and Welfare, Canada.
• Simopoulos AP, Leaf A & Salem N (2000): Workshop Statement on the Essentiality of and Recommended Dietary Intakes for Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Prostaglandins Leukot. Essent. Fatty Acids 63, 119–121.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Singh RB, Niaz MA, Sharma JP, Kumar R, Rastogi V & Moshiri M (1997): Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of fish oil and mustard oil in patients with suspected acute myocardial infarction: the Indian experiment of infarct survival–4. Cardiovasc. Drugs Ther. 11, 485–491.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• The British Nutrition Foundation (1992): Unsaturated Fatty Acids—Nutritional and Physiological Significance: The Report of the British Nutrition Foundation's Taskforce. London: Chapman & Hall.
• Visioli F, Rise P, Plasmati E, Pazzucconi F, Sirtori CR & Galli C (2000): Very low intakes of N-3 fatty acids incorporated into bovine milk reduce plasma triacylglycerol and increase HDL-cholesterol concentrations in healthy subjects. Pharmacol. Res. 41, 571–576.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Wallace JMW, McCabe AJ, Robson PJ, Keogh MK, Murray CA, Kelly PM, Marquez-Ruiz G, McGlynn H, Gilmora WS and Strain JJ (2000): Bioavailability of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in foods enriched with microencapsulated fish oil. Ann. Nutr. Metab. 44, 157–162.
  Article CAS Google Scholar

Download references

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge Meadow Lea Foods Ltd (Sydney, Australia) for supplying the margarine spread, canola oil, salad dressing, and mayonnaise, Pauls Ltd (Brisbane, Australia) for supplying the milk, Safcol Ltd (Adelaide, Australia) for supplying the canned salmon and sardines, Conroys Smallgoods Pty Ltd (Adelaide, Australia) for supplying the luncheon meat, Enreco Inc (Manitowoc, WI, USA) for supplying the flax products and Roche Vitamins (Sydney, Australia) for supplying the fish oil. This study was supported in part by the National Heart Foundation of Australia.

Author information

Author notes

1. M J James: Guarantor: MJ James
2. R G Metcalf, M J James, E Mantzioris and L G Cleland: Contributors: RGM participated in study design, recruitment, laboratory analyses, data collection, data analysis, writing and editing of the report. EM participated in study design and advice on study management. MJJ and LGC participated in study design, obtaining funding and editing of the report.

Authors and Affiliations

1. Department of Rheumatology, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia
   R G Metcalf, M J James, E Mantzioris & L G Cleland

Authors

1. R G Metcalf
   You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
2. M J James
   You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
3. E Mantzioris
   You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
4. L G Cleland
   You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence toR G Metcalf.

Rights and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Metcalf, R., James, M., Mantzioris, E. et al. A practical approach to increasing intakes of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids: use of novel foods enriched with n-3 fats.Eur J Clin Nutr 57, 1605–1612 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601731

Download citation

• Received: 24 October 2002
• Revised: 18 December 2002
• Accepted: 25 December 2002
• Published: 28 November 2003
• Issue Date: 01 December 2003
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601731

Keywords

This article is cited by