A Dietary Supplement with a High Eicosapentaenoic Acid to Docosahexaenoic Acid Ratio Reduces Triglyceride Levels in Mildly Hypertriglyceridemic Subjects

There is compelling evidence that omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) provide cardioprotective benefits. This open-label study evaluated whether an omega-3 fatty acid dietary supplement with a high EPA to DHA ratio (2.3:1) reduces triglyceride (TG) levels in mildly hypertriglyceridemic subjects. Twenty subjects, with a mean baseline TG level of 321.7 ± 108.7 mg/dL, were administered 4 g/day of Ocean BlueProfessional Omega-3 2100TM (OB) supplements. Each gram of OB contains the ethyl esters of EPA (675 mg) and DHA (300 mg). Baseline and end of study blood values were collected to assess changes in fasting levels of TG, total cholesterol (TC), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C). Supplementation was provided for 30 to 228 days (mean = 106 ± 50 days). Mean age at enrollment was 50.3 ± 6.3 years. Compared with baseline values, mean TG levels decreased by 48% (p = 0.001). There were no changes in TC and HDL-C levels (p = NS); however, subjects had a significant increase in LDL-C levels (16.4%, p = 0.05). Results indicated that a high ratio of EPA to DHA (>2:1) had a statistically significant TG-lowering effect in mildly hypertriglyceridemic subjects. The lipid effects of OB are compared with those published in the literature for n-3 drugs indicated for hypertriglyceridemia (very high TG levels, > 500 mg/dL).