Intake of Calanus finmarchicus oil for 12 weeks improves omega-3 index in healthy older subjects engaging in an exercise programme

• Published in: British journal of nutrition Vol. 125; no. 4; pp. 432 - 439
• Main Authors: Wasserfurth, Paulina, Nebl, Josefine, Boßlau, Tim Konstantin, Krüger, Karsten, Hahn, Andreas, Schuchardt, Jan Philipp
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 28.02.2021
• Subjects: Angina pectoris; Blood; Blood levels; Calanus finmarchicus; Carbon monoxide; Cholesterol; Diet; Dietary supplements; Esters; Exercise; Fatty acids; Fish oils; Fitness training programs; Human and Clinical Nutrition; human health; Indexing; Laboratories; Nutrition research; Oil; oils; Oils & fats; omega-3 fatty acids; Participation; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; Questionnaires; randomized clinical trials; Waxes; Germany; Marine oil; DHA; PUFA; Wax esters; EPA
• ISSN: 0007-1145; 1475-2662; 1475-2662
• DOI: 10.1017/S0007114520002809

The n-3 PUFA, EPA and DHA, play an important role in human health. As the intake of EPA and DHA from the diet is often inadequate, supplementation of those fatty acids is recommended. A novel source of n-3 PUFA is Calanus finmarchicus oil (CO) which contains fatty acids mainly bound in wax esters. To date, no data are available on the effects of long-term intake of this marine oil on n-3 PUFA blood levels. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of CO on the n-3 PUFA blood levels using the omega-3 index (O3I). The data originate from a larger randomised controlled trial. For this analysis, samples from seventy-two participants (59·2 (sd 6·2) years, BMI 27·7 (sd 5·28) kg/m2) were analysed. Of those, thirty-six performed 2×/week exercise and received 2 g of CO, which provided 124 mg stearidonic acid (SDA), 109 mg EPA and 87 mg DHA daily (EXCO group), while the other group performed exercise only (EX group) and served as a control for this analysis. The O3I increased from 6·07 (sd 1·29) % at baseline to 7·37 (sd 1·10) % after 12 weeks within the EXCO group (P < 0·001), while there were no significant changes in the EX group (6·01 (sd 1·26)–6·15 (sd 1·32) %, P = 0·238). These data provide first evidence that wax ester-bound n-3 PUFA from CO can significantly increase the O3I despite relatively low EPA + DHA amounts. Further, the effects of exercise could be excluded.