Influence of fish oil on blood lipids in coronary artery disease

The low incidence of coronary artery disease in Greenland Eskimos may be due to their intake of seafood with a high content of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids which may have a hypolipidaemic effect. Results of previous studies have been controversial, depending on the dosage of fish oil and the phenotypic cause of the hyperlipoproteinaemia. In this placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over study, patients (n = 32) with coronary artery disease and dyslipidaemia received firstly 2.4 g eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids. Thereafter in the open study the same study group received 3.6 g EPA/DHA. Fish oil had no significant effect on serum cholesterol or high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Low doses of fish oil (2.4 g EPA/DHA) reduced serum triglyceride level significantly (P less than 0.05) and more significantly (P less than 0.01) with 3.6 g EPA/DHA. The results indicated that the therapeutic effect of n-3 fatty acids as hypolipidaemic agents is greatest in patients with severe hypertriglyceridaemia (greater than 3.00 mmol/l).