Intensive lifestyle intervention provides rapid reduction of serum fatty acid levels in women with severe obesity without lowering omega-3 to unhealthy levels.

Serum fatty acid (FA) levels were monitored in women with severe obesity during intensive lifestyle intervention. At baseline, total FA levels and most individual FAs were elevated compared to a matching cohort of normal and overweight women (healthy controls). After 3 weeks of intensive lifestyle intervention, total level was only 11-12% higher than in the healthy controls and with almost all FAs being significantly lower than at baseline, but with levels of omega-3 being similar to the healthy controls. This is contrary to observations for patients subjected to bariatric surgery where omega-3 levels dropped to levels significantly lower than in the lifestyle patients and healthy controls. During the next 3 weeks of treatment, the FA levels in lifestyle patients were unchanged, while the weight loss continued at almost the same rate as in the first 3 weeks. Multivariate analysis revealed that weight loss and change of serum FA patterns were unrelated outcomes of the intervention for lifestyle patients. For bariatric patients, these processes were associated probably due to reduced dietary input and increased input from the patients' own fat deposits, causing a higher rate of weight loss and simultaneous reduction of the ratio of serum eicosapentaenoic to arachidonic acid.

Effects of duodenal switch alone or in combination with sleeve gastrectomy on body weight and lipid metabolism in rats.

BACKGROUND: A combined procedure of sleeve gastrectomy and duodenal switch (SG+DS) has been applied to the treatment of super obesity. The aim of the present study was to test whether duodenal switch alone (DS) leads to similar weight loss and changes in lipid metabolism as SG+DS. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent sham surgery (Sham, N=7), duodenal switch alone (DS, N=5) or sleeve gastrectomy followed by duodenal switch (SG+DS, N=5). Body weight, feed and water intakes, and ambulatory activity were recorded 2 months post surgery. Tissue and faecal lipids, faecal bile acids, plasma cytokines and lipid metabolism-related gene expression in adipose tissue and liver were analysed. RESULTS: Daily energy intake, relative feed uptake, ambulatory activity and body weight reduction were similar between DS and SG+DS rats. The hepatic triacylglycerol content was higher and faecal secretion of triacylglycerol was lower after SG+DS compared to DS (P<0.05). Faecal bile acid secretion was higher in SG+DS than in DS rats (P<0.05) despite similar hepatic CYP7A1mRNA level. Plasma levels of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-12, granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor and tumour necrosis factor alpha were higher in SG+DS than in DS rats (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Although DS and SG+DS had similar efficacy in terms of body weight loss, SG+DS resulted in a poorer regulation of lipid metabolism than DS.

Effect of Norwegian fish powder on risk factors for coronary heart disease among hypercholesterolemic individuals.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Numerous studies suggest an association between high intake of fatty fish and reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Very long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are thought to be responsible for the benefits observed, though other fatty fish components may act in concert with them. Norwegian fish powder is a dry herring product that contains essential amino acids, marine omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. The aim of the present study was to determine whether it has beneficial effects on risk factors for coronary heart disease in man. METHODS AND RESULTS: A single center, randomized, double-blind, parallel-treatment study was carried out for 12 weeks. Subjects with primary hypercholesterolemia were randomly allocated to 10 g fish powder or placebo (20 tablets/day). Participants were instructed to follow National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Step I Diet during a 4-week diet run-in phase and during the study. Concentrations of lipids, lipoproteins, hemostatic variables and endothelial cell markers were determined before and after supplementation. Our data showed that the fish powder supplement was well tolerated. A significant decrease and increase respectively were observed in plasma alpha-linolenic acid (p = 0.03) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (p = 0.03). Concentrations of lipids, lipoproteins, homocysteine, factor VII, fibrinogen, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, P-selectin and interleukin (IL)-8 were not beneficially affected. CONCLUSIONS: Fish powder supplementation does not seem an effective approach to improve risk factors for coronary heart disease in hypercholesterolemic subjects following the NCEP Step I Diet.