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Clinical Trial
. 2000 Dec;19(6):417-23.
doi: 10.1054/clnu.2000.0162.

Eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester supplementation in cachectic cancer patients and healthy subjects: effects on lipolysis and lipid oxidation

S D Zuijdgeest-Van Leeuwen  1 , P C Dagnelie, J L Wattimena, J W Van den Berg, A Van der Gaast, G R Swart, J H Wilson
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester supplementation in cachectic cancer patients and healthy subjects: effects on lipolysis and lipid oxidation

S D Zuijdgeest-Van Leeuwen et al. Clin Nutr. 2000 Dec.

Abstract

Background & aims: Recent reports suggest that weight loss in cachectic cancer patients may be inhibited by supplementation of the n-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3; EPA), presumably due to inhibition of lipolysis. The aim of the present double-blind, randomized trial was to assess whether short-term oral EPA ethyl ester (EE) supplementation inhibits lipolysis and lipid oxidation in weight-losing cancer patients and in healthy subjects.

Methods: Seventeen weight-losing, cancer patients of different tumor types, and 16 healthy subjects were randomized to receive EPA-EE (6 g/d) or placebo (oleic acid (OA)-EE; 6 g/d) for seven days. At baseline (day 0) and during supplementation (days 2 and 7) whole-body lipolysis and palmitic acid release were measured in the overnight fasting state using [1, 1, 2, 3, 3-(2)H(5)]glycerol and [1-(13)C]palmitic acid. Palmitate oxidation was determined by measuring(13)CO(2)enrichment in expired breath.

Results: No significant effects of EPA-EE on whole-body lipolysis, palmitic acid release, or palmitate oxidation were detected in cancer patients nor in healthy subjects in comparison with OA-EE. EPA-EE supplementation reduced plasma-free fatty acid and triacylglycerol concentrations significantly in healthy subjects but not in cancer patients.

Conclusion: We conclude that supplementation of EPA-EE does not significantly inhibit lipolysis or lipid oxidation in weight-losing cancer patients or in healthy subjects during short-term supplementation when using OA-EE as a placebo supplement.

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