Bioavailability of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid enriched luncheon meats

(Nutr Diet 2005;62:130–137) Objective: To determine the acute and chronic effects of low doses of long chain (LC) n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on plasma LC n‐3 PUFA levels. Design: In the acute study, six healthy omnivores, avoiding fish meals on the day prior to the study, provided a fasting blood sample initially and post prandially at four hours. In the chronic study, 12 healthy subjects provided a fasting blood sample at baseline and three weeks after daily consumption of the test food. Main outcome measures: Plasma non‐esterified fatty acid and phospholipid LC n‐3 PUFA composition. Statistical analysis: Differences in plasma non‐esterified fatty acids and phospholipid LC n‐3 PUFA. A pre‐ and post‐consumption of the test food were assessed using paired t‐tests (spss ). Results: The acute study demonstrated that a low dose of LC n‐3 PUFA (25% eicosapentaenoic acid and 75% docosahexaenoic acid) significantly increased eicosapentaenoic acid levels in plasma of human subjects postprandially from 0.30% to 0.42% of total non‐esterified fatty acids, a per cent change of 39% (P < 0.05). The chronic study demonstrated a significant increase in total n‐3 phospholipids from zero weeks (5.48% of total fatty acids) to three weeks (7.92% of total fatty acids), representing a per cent increase of 44% (P = 0.006). The n‐6 to n‐3 ratio of LC PUFA phospholipids demonstrated a significant reduction from 5.1 at zero weeks to 4.07 at three weeks, representing a reduction of 20% (P = 0.006). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the bioavailability of LC n‐3 PUFA consumed as a low‐fat omega‐3‐enriched luncheon meat.