Effects of Scandinavian Caviar Paste Enriched with a Stable Fish Oil on Plasma Phospholipid Fatty Acids and Lipid Peroxidation

Objective: To study the possibility of increasing the very long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), in humans by means of consumption of a common food product, Scandinavian caviar paste, suitable for strategic enrichment with a high concentration of these fatty acids, and to measure the potential inducement of lipid peroxidation.

Design: A randomized double blind repeated measures experiment.

Subjects And Interventions: In total, 16 healthy, nonsmoking subjects (eight men and eight women, age 42+/-12 y) were included in the study. Eight consumed 25 g ordinary caviar paste daily for 3 weeks, and eight the same amount of caviar paste enriched with a very stable fish oil (7%, wt/wt). Blood lipids, plasma phospholipid fatty acids and lipid peroxidation were measured.

Results: alpha-Linoleic acid was significantly decreased after intake of both ordinary (-8%, P<0.05) and fish oil caviar (-10%, P<0.05), as was the sum of all n-6 fatty acids (-6%, P<0.05 and -8%, P<0.001, respectively). The fatty acids EPA and DHA, as well as the sum of all n-3 fatty acids, increased significantly in both caviar groups but more in the group given fish oil caviar paste (EPA: +51%, P<0.05 and +100%, P<0.001, respectively; DHA: +24%, P<0.01 and +29%, P<0.001, respectively; sum of n-3:+27%, P<0.05 and +40%, P<0.001, respectively). Lipid peroxidation, measured as the thiobarbituric acid-malondialdehyde adduct, was increased by 26% (P<0.05) after intake of ordinary caviar paste, but was unchanged after intake of fish oil-enriched caviar paste.

Conclusion: Scandinavian caviar paste is a spread naturally enriched with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids that can be included in the diet to achieve an increase in these fatty acids. However, changing to caviar paste enriched with stable fish oil will lead to a considerably greater increase in EPA and DHA.

Sponsorship: Swedish Medical Research Council; Cardinova AB, Uppsala, Sweden.