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. 2010 Nov 2;46(1):37–46. doi: 10.1007/s11745-010-3490-4

Table 4.

Fatty acid composition in plasma

Parameter (μmol/L) Treatment N Baseline End of study Change p-Valuea for change p-Valueb between groups
C14:0 myristic acid Fish oil 40 67.4 ± 57.07 69.4 ± 62.32 2.0 ± 44.05 0.77
Krill oil 36 55.5 ± 32.43 57.8 ± 26.15 2.3 ± 30.93 0.65 0.71
Control 37 60.5 ± 29.25 58.1 ± 38.01 −2.4 ± 35.46 0.69
C15:0 pentadecanoic acid Fish oil 40 18.2 ± 14.42 16.2 ± 8.22 −2.1 ± 12.01 0.28
Krill oil 36 14.7 ± 5.03 15.5 ± 3.69 0.8 ± 4.44 0.30 0.27
Control 37 15.0 ± 5.02 15.0 ± 5.26 0.1 ± 4.32 0.94
C16:0 palmitic acid Fish oil 40 1,661.0 ± 496.5 1,522. ± 339.3 −139.0 ± 409.5 0.038
Krill oil 36 1,548.9 ± 477.9 1,547. ± 260.0 −2.3 ± 414.9 0.97 0.35
Control 37 1,652.7 ± 374.2 1,578. ± 315.6 −74.6 ± 327.7 0.17
C16:1n-7 palmitoleic acid Fish oil 40 67.7 ± 35.41 63.0 ± 33.54 −4.7 ± 27.91 0.29
Krill oil 36 66.1 ± 49.18 61.8 ± 26.56 −4.4 ± 35.91 0.47 0.62
Control 37 68.7 ± 32.98 63.9 ± 35.07 −4.8 ± 28.62 0.31
C17:0 margaric acid Fish oil 40 24.2 ± 8.38 23.9 ± 8.44 −0.3 ± 6.09 0.76
Krill oil 36 22.6 ± 5.85 24.0 ± 5.84 1.4 ± 5.49 0.14 0.089
Control 37 23.3 ± 5.46 21.7 ± 5.84 −1.6 ± 4.85 0.048
C18:0 stearic acid Fish oil 40 580.6 ± 136.6 578.5 ± 130.2 −2.2 ± 133.2 0.92
Krill oil 36 548.5 ± 116.7 568.9 ± 112.6 20.4 ± 91.7 0.19 0.17
Control 37 594.8 ± 103.5 562.4 ± 147.2 −32.4 ± 125.4 0.12
C18:1n-9 oleic acid Fish oil 40 558.9 ± 166.1 516.2 ± 146.8 −42.7 ± 154.0 0.087
Krill oil 36 532.8 ± 198.5 521.8 ± 109.1 −11.0 ± 191.0 0.73 0.71
Control 37 570.2 ± 146.8 547.2 ± 156.1 −23.0 ± 151.9 0.36
C18:2n-6 linoleic acid Fish oil 40 829.3 ± 349.8 779.8 ± 254.5 −49.6 ± 251.3 0.22
Krill oil 36 742.0 ± 214.0 744.2 ± 187.9 2.2 ± 215.8 0.95 0.44
Control 37 812.0 ± 219.6 735.7 ± 212.4 −76.3 ± 167.5 0.0088
C18:3n-3 alpha-linoleic acid Fish oil 40 61.7 ± 17.89 61.9 ± 20.22 0.2 ± 20.95 0.95
Krill oil 36 67.3 ± 25.24 68.4 ± 21.88 1.1 ± 20.08 0.73 0.15
Control 37 68.3 ± 20.40 62.8 ± 22.07 −5.5 ± 19.55 0.094
C20:3n-3 eicosatrienoic acid Fish oil 40 39.6 ± 18.08 33.5 ± 17.97 −6.0 ± 10.00 0.0005
Krill oil 36 39.3 ± 19.20 34.9 ± 13.20 −4.4 ± 13.23 0.054 0.22
Control 37 39.8 ± 18.24 37.7 ± 18.28 −2.1 ± 8.65 0.16
C20:4n-6 arachidonic acid Fish oil 40 192.6 ± 50.0 178.5 ± 45.3 −14.1 ± 29.6 0.0046
Krill oil 36 180.1 ± 52.4 192.1 ± 40.2 12.0 ± 32.8 0.035 0.0010
Control 37 189.8 ± 44.2 182.8 ± 38.0 −7.0 ± 32.3 0.20
C22:0 behenic acid Fish oil 40 21.5 ± 6.05 21.8 ± 6.36 0.4 ± 3.30 0.49
Krill oil 36 20.2 ± 5.29 22.0 ± 6.25 1.9 ± 3.51 0.003 0.040
Control 37 18.9 ± 6.02 18.3 ± 4.83 −0.6 ± 4.07 0.36
C24:0 lignoceric acid Fish oil 40 10.0 ± 4.07 10.3 ± 4.19 0.3 ± 1.71 0.22
Krill oil 36 9.7 ± 2.86 10.4 ± 3.15 0.7 ± 2.04 0.040 0.26
Control 37 8.9 ± 3.37 8.5 ± 3.05 −0.4 ± 2.57 0.40
C24:1n-9 neuronic acid Fish oil 40 18.2 ± 6.88 18.9 ± 6.15 0.6 ± 3.75 0.29
Krill oil 36 16.7 ± 5.99 17.3 ± 5.87 0.6 ± 5.00 0.48 0.17
Control 37 15.7 ± 5.39 16.7 ± 5.70 1.0 ± 5.67 0.30
C20:5n-3 EPA Fish oil 40 31.2 ± 23.11 76.3 ± 36.02 45.2 ± 29.65 <0.0001
Krill oil 36 30.4 ± 21.57 74.9 ± 38.66 44.5 ± 35.21 <0.0001 <0.0001
Control 37 43.9 ± 40.74 37.2 ± 28.64 −6.6 ± 28.58 0.17
C22:6n-3 DHA Fish oil 40 47.0 ± 22.08 70.4 ± 25.70 23.4 ± 16.55 <0.0001
Krill oil 36 44.8 ± 21.36 64.2 ± 26.15 19.4 ± 23.75 <0.0001 <0.0001
Control 37 57.4 ± 30.94 51.3 ± 23.70 −6.1 ± 21.25 0.088
C22:5n-3 DPA Fish oil 40 8.8 ± 3.98 12.7 ± 5.06 3.9 ± 3.24 <0.0001
Krill oil 36 8.2 ± 3.33 11.9 ± 3.56 3.6 ± 3.68 <0.0001 <0.0001
Control 37 9.6 ± 5.09 8.6 ± 3.84 −1.0 ± 3.56 0.090
Total fatty acids Fish oil 40 4,250.7 ± 1,148.1 4,064.6 ± 890.8 −186.0 ± 921.8 0.21
Krill oil 36 3,958.1 ± 983.7 4,045.5 ± 662.5 87.4 ± 810.7 0.52 0.15
Control 37 4,261.3 ± 804.2 4,016.8 ± 774.4 −244.5 ± 685.5 0.037

aTest of within-group changes

bTest comparing change from start to end of intervention between the fish oil, krill oil, and control groups