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Enhanced Bioavailability of EPA From Emulsified Fish Oil Preparations Versus Capsular Triacylglycerol

  • Original Article
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Lipids

Abstract

For those individuals who are unable to consume adequate long chain omega-3 fatty acids (LCn3) from dietary sources, fish oil supplementation is an attractive alternative Pre-emulsified fish oil supplements, an alternative to capsular triacylglycerol, may enhance the uptake of LCn3 fatty acids it contains. A randomized, Latin-square crossover design was used to compare the effects of four fish oil supplement preparations (Emulsions S, B and N) on phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) concentrations in ten healthy volunteers compared to oil capsules over 48 h after a single dose and chylomicron fatty acid (CMFA) was evaluated over 8 h. Blood samples were collected at 0, 2, 4, 8, 24 and 48 h and fatty acid concentrations of PLFA and CMFA were determined by gas chromatography and the integrated area under the curve over 40 h (iAUC0–48) was determined. Emulsion S and Emulsion N promoted increased uptake of EPA into PLFA over 48 h when evaluating by iAUC0–48 or individual time points of assessment. No differences were observed between supplements in the CMFA concentrations.

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Abbreviations

DHA:

Docosahexaenoic acid

EPA:

Eicosapentaenoic acid

PLFA:

Phospholipid fatty acid

CMFA:

Chylomicron fatty acids

LCn3:

Long chain omega-3 fatty acids

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Acknowledgments

We thank the study volunteers and the nursing and dietetics staff of the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center. We thank Coromega Co., Inc. for their kind donation of supplements. Funding for this work was provided by ARS, USDA 5450-51000-049-00D and a Grant from the Brian G. Dyson Foundation, Atlanta, GA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ARS, USDA, Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, 2420 2nd Avenue North, Grand Forks, ND, 58203, USA

    Susan K. Raatz, LuAnn K. Johnson & Michael R. Bukowski

  2. Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA

    Susan K. Raatz

Authors
  1. Susan K. Raatz
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  2. LuAnn K. Johnson
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  3. Michael R. Bukowski
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Correspondence to Susan K. Raatz.

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SKR, LKJ and MRB declare no conflicts of interest.

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Raatz, S.K., Johnson, L.K. & Bukowski, M.R. Enhanced Bioavailability of EPA From Emulsified Fish Oil Preparations Versus Capsular Triacylglycerol. Lipids 51, 643–651 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-015-4100-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-015-4100-2

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