Fish oils and plasma lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in humans: a critical review - PubMed (original) (raw)
Review
. 1989 Jun;30(6):785-807.
Affiliations
- PMID: 2677200
Free article
Review
Fish oils and plasma lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in humans: a critical review
W S Harris. J Lipid Res. 1989 Jun.
Free article
Abstract
Epidemiological studies in Greenland Eskimos led to the hypothesis that marine oils rich in n-3 fatty acids (also referred to as omega (omega)-3 fatty acids) are hypolipidemic and ultimately antiatherogenic. Metabolically controlled trials in which large amounts of fish oil were fed to normal volunteers and hyperlipidemic patients showed that these fatty acids (FAs) are effective at lowering plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Although more recent trials using smaller, more practical doses of fish oil supplements have confirmed the hypotriglyceridemic effect, they have shown little effect on total cholesterol levels; hypertriglyceridemic patients have even experienced increases in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels of 10-20% while taking n-3 FA supplements. Discrepancies among fish oil studies regarding the effects of n-3 FAs on LDL-C levels may be understood by noting that, in the majority of studies reporting reductions in LDL-C levels, saturated fat intake was lowered when switching from the control diet to the fish oil diet. When fish oil is fed and saturated fat intake is constant, LDL-C levels either do not change or may increase. Levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol have been found to increase slightly (about 5-10%) with fish oil intake. Plasma apolipoprotein levels change in concert with their associated lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Although the decrease in triglyceride levels appears to result from an inhibition in hepatic triglyceride synthesis, the mechanisms leading to the increases in LDL and HDL have not been determined. Finally, fatty fish or linolenic acid may serve as alternative sources of long-chain n-3 FAs, but further studies will be needed to document their hypolipidemic and/or antiatherogenic effects.
Similar articles
- N-3 fatty acids from fish oil. Effects on plasma lipoproteins and hypertriglyceridemic patients.
Connor WE, DeFrancesco CA, Connor SL. Connor WE, et al. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1993 Jun 14;683:16-34. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1993.tb35689.x. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1993. PMID: 8352438 Review. - Normal subjects consuming physiological levels of 18:3(n-3) and 20:5(n-3) from flaxseed or fish oils have characteristic differences in plasma lipid and lipoprotein fatty acid levels.
Layne KS, Goh YK, Jumpsen JA, Ryan EA, Chow P, Clandinin MT. Layne KS, et al. J Nutr. 1996 Sep;126(9):2130-40. doi: 10.1093/jn/126.9.2130. J Nutr. 1996. PMID: 8814201 Clinical Trial. - Diet, atherosclerosis, and fish oil.
Connor WE, Connor SL. Connor WE, et al. Adv Intern Med. 1990;35:139-71. Adv Intern Med. 1990. PMID: 2405591 Review.
Cited by
- Influence of dietary fatty acid composition on cholesterol synthesis and esterification in hamsters.
Jones PJ, Ridgen JE, Benson AP. Jones PJ, et al. Lipids. 1990 Dec;25(12):815-20. doi: 10.1007/BF02535903. Lipids. 1990. PMID: 2093143 - The relationship among brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), cholesterol and lipoprotein.
Takeuchi H, Sata M. Takeuchi H, et al. Heart Asia. 2012 Jan 1;4(1):11-5. doi: 10.1136/heartasia-2011-010042. eCollection 2012. Heart Asia. 2012. PMID: 27326018 Free PMC article. - Fish oils and cardiovascular disease.
Holub BJ. Holub BJ. CMAJ. 1989 Nov 15;141(10):1063. CMAJ. 1989. PMID: 2804830 Free PMC article. No abstract available. - Physiological importance of omega-3/omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in man. An overview of still unresolved and controversial questions.
Debry G, Pelletier X. Debry G, et al. Experientia. 1991 Feb 15;47(2):172-8. doi: 10.1007/BF01945421. Experientia. 1991. PMID: 2001722 Review.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Research Materials
Miscellaneous