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

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.

Keywords: Chylomicrons; Fish oil; Phospholipid fatty acids.