ABSTRACT
Regular intake of n-3 fatty acids of marine origin have desirable effects on serum lipoproteins and reduce coronary vascular disease [CVD]. n-3 fatty acid supplementation decreased serum triglyceride concentrations in studies in which most of the subjects were male. The effects of n-3 fatty acids supplementation in fat women especially postmenopausal fat women have received little attention. The aim of this study was to determine whether purified n-3 fatty acids have desirable effects on serum lipoproteins, malondialdehyde [MDA] and lipoprotein risk factors for CVD in postmenopausal fat women receiving hormone replacement therapy [HRT]
Materials and Methods: in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of parallel design, 35 postmenopausal women receiving hormone replacement therapy were randomly allocated to receive 2 g purified n-3 fatty acids or placebo for 10 weeks. Serum lipoproteins and MDA were determined on days 0 and 70
Results: serum levels of triglycerides [TG] decreased significantly in the n-3 fatty acids group at the end of study compared to the initial values, and also compared to control group [26%, p< 0_003 and 29%, p< 0_01, respectively]_In the n-3 fatty acids group, serum levels of TG/HDL-C decreased significantly at the end of the study compared to initial values and, at the end of the study, compared to control group as well [23 %, P <0_05 and 28%, p< 0.05]
Conclusion: supplementation with purified n-3 fatty acids can favorably influence selected CHD risk factors, particularly by achieving marked reduction in serum TG and TG/HDL-C levels in postmenopausal fat w omen receiving HRT