Moderate doses of EPA and DHA from re-esterified triacylglycerols but not from ethyl-esters lower fasting serum triacylglycerols in statin-treated dyslipidemic subjects: Results from a six month randomized controlled trial.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized controlled trial
PubMed 21862301 · doi:10.1016/j.plefa.2011.07.006
What was done
In a six-month randomized controlled trial, 150 dyslipidemic participants on statin therapy were assigned to receive corn oil placebo or fish oil as either re-esterified triacylglycerols (rTAG) or ethyl-esters (EE) at identical doses (1.01 g EPA plus 0.67 g DHA daily). Fasting serum lipid levels, including total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triacylglycerols, were measured.
What was found
No changes were observed in total cholesterol, HDL, or LDL levels. Fasting serum triacylglycerols were significantly reduced from baseline after three and six months in the rTAG group, but not in the EE group. After six months, triacylglycerols were significantly lower in the rTAG group compared with placebo, whereas the EE group did not differ from placebo. There was no statistically significant difference directly comparing the rTAG and EE groups. The abstract reports no numerical values, variances, or p-values.
Why it matters
The study suggests that the chemical formulation of omega-3 supplements may influence their triglyceride-lowering efficacy in statin-treated dyslipidemia, favoring re-esterified triacylglycerols over ethyl-esters at moderate doses.
Limits
The abstract reports no exact numbers, percentages, confidence intervals, or p-values. The direct comparison between rTAG and EE was not statistically significant, limiting conclusions about superiority. Blinding procedures, adherence rates, and dietary controls were not described in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports The human body absorbs significantly less omega-3 in ethyl ester form compared to the re-esterified triglyceride form.