Table 1.
Summary of the characteristics of the six included studies.
| Reference | Study Design & Population | Sample Size (n) | Dose of EPA (g/Day) | Duration (Weeks) | Outcomes | Jadad Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dose of DHA (g/Day) | ||||||
| Dose of Placebo (g/Day) | ||||||
| Allaire et al., 2016, 2017 [52,53], Vors et al., 2017 [54] | Double-blind randomised controlled crossover study with 9 week washout. Healthy subjects with abdominal obesity and low-grade inflammation |
n = 121 (EPA) n = 123 (DHA) n = 125 (corn oil) n = 125 (total) |
2.7 (EPA)
2.7 (DHA) 3.0 (corn oil) |
10 | Inflammation markers (IL-6, IL-18, CRP, TNF-α, adiponectin)
Inflammatory gene expression (PPARA, TNFA, CD14, TRAF3, CCL2, IL-10, IL-1B, IL-1RN, NFKB, TNFRSF1A) Blood lipids (total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, ApoB, triglycerides) |
5 |
| Grimsgaard et al., 1997, 1998 [49,55] | Double-blind parallel RCT.
Healthy men |
n = 75 (EPA) n = 72 (DHA) n = 77 (corn oil) n = 224 (total) |
3.8 (EPA) 3.6 (DHA) 4.0 (corn oil) |
7 | Blood lipids (total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, ApoA1, ApoB, triglycerides) Haemodynamics (blood pressure, heart rate, left ventricular function) |
5 |
| Mori et al., 1999, 2000a, 2000b, 2000c [50,56,57,58], Mas et al., 2010 [59] | Double-blind parallel RCT. Overweight mildly hyperlipidaemic men |
n = 19 (EPA) n = 17 (DHA) n = 20 (olive oil) n = 56 (total) |
3.8 (EPA) 3.7 (DHA) 3.0 (olive oil) |
6 | Blood lipids (total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides) Oxidative stress markers (urinary and plasma F2-isoprostanes) Glycaemic control (fasting insulin, fasting glucose) Haemodynamics (heart rate, blood pressure, endothelial function) |
3 |
| Nestel et al., 2002 [60] | Double-blind parallel RCT. Dyslipidaemic subjects |
n = 12 (EPA) n = 12 (DHA) n = 14 (olive oil) n = 38 (total) |
3.0 (EPA) 2.8 (DHA) 2.8 (olive oil) |
7 | Arterial function (systemic arterial compliance) Blood lipids (Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, VLDL triglyceride, total triglyceride) Haemodynamics (heart rate, blood pressure, pulse pressure, total vascular resistance) |
4 |
| Park & Harris 2002, 2003, 2004 [61,62,63] | Double-blind parallel RCT with 4 week run-in (olive oil) followed by 4 week wash-out. Healthy subjects |
n = 11 (EPA) n = 11 (DHA) n = 11 (safflower oil) n = 33 (total) |
3.8 (EPA) 3.8 (DHA) 4.0 (safflower oil) |
4 | Blood lipids (total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol, triglycerides, plasma phospholipids, chylomicron triglycerides, chylomicron size, ApoB-48, ApoB-100, margination volume) Platelet function (mean platelet volume) |
3 |
| Woodman et al., 2002, 2003a, 2003b [64,65,66], Mori et al., 2003 [67], Mas et al., 2010 [59] | Double-blind parallel RCT. Treated hypertensive Type 2 diabetics |
n = 17 (EPA) n = 18 (DHA) n = 16 (olive oil) n = 51 (total) |
3.8 (EPA) 3.7 (DHA) 3.0 (olive oil) |
6 | Oxidative stress markers (urinary and plasma F2-isoprostanes) Blood lipids (total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL particle size) Haemodynamics (blood pressure) Glycaemic control (fasting glucose, glycated haemoglobin, fasting insulin, C-peptide, insulin sensitivity) Inflammation markers (TNF-α, CRP, IL-6) Platelet, fibrinolytic and vascular function (collagen and PAF-stimulated platelet aggregation, collagen-stimulated thromboxane release, plasma tPA & PAI-1 antigen, von Willebrand factor, P-selectin, brachial artery dilatation) |
3 |
EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid; DHA, docosahexaenoic acid; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; VLDL, very-low-density lipoprotein; RCT, randomised controlled trial.