EPA and DHA Status of South Asian and White Canadians Living in the National Capital Region of Canada

Abstract

To minimize the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), most dietary guidelines have recommended consuming 500 mg/day of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or two servings of oily fish/week. The sum of percent EPA and DHA in red blood cell (RBC) total fatty acids-termed the omega-3 index-has been proposed as a biomarker for assessing the risk of death from CVD. The omega-3 indices of ≤4, >4 to <8 and ≥8 % have been proposed to be associated with high, intermediate and low CVD risks, respectively. In this study, we determined the EPA + DHA intake level and the omega-3 index of South Asian Canadians (SAC; n = 308) and white Canadians (WC; n = 341) age 20-79 years living in the National Capital Region of Canada. The mean EPA + DHA intake levels were 569 ± 571 mg/day for SAC and 684 ± 865 mg/day for WC and 46 % of SAC and 43 % of WC met the recommended EPA + DHA intake level of 500 mg/day. The mean omega-3 indices were 6.6 and 5.9 % for SAC and WC respectively. The suggested cardio-protective target level for the omega-3 index of ≥8 % was observed only in 19.8 % of SAC and in 9.4 % of WC subjects. The majority of the participants (74.4 % of SAC and 82.7 % of WC) were in the >4 to <8 % range. These results suggest that although study participants' dietary intake of EPA + DHA is adequate, this intake was not sufficient to provide an omega-3 index that is considered cardio-protective.

Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels are more prevalent in Canadians of South Asian than European ancestry inhabiting the National Capital Region of Canada

“…The current manuscript reports only on physical characteristics, vitamin D intake (diet plus supplements) and blood status in adults in order to determine their interrelationship. The results for omega-3 status [14] and cardio-metabolic disease risks [15] have already been published.…”

Meta-analysis of factors associated with omega-3 fatty acid contents of wild fish

“…Possible mechanisms by which EPA and DHA improved cardiovascular health included antithrombotic, anti-inflammatory and antiarrhythmic actions (Adkins and Kelley 2010;Phang et al 2011). The World Health Organization as well as numerous national health organizations recommended personal consumption of 0.5 -1.0 g of EPA+DHA per day to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases (Harris et al 2009;Kris-Etherton et al 2009;Adkins and Kelley 2010;Nagasaka et al 2014). Furthermore, a daily intake of ~1 g of DHA has been recommended to prevent neuropsychiatric disorders and to maintain optimal cognitive function throughout one's lifespan (Reis and Hibbeln 2006;Robert 2006;Plourde and Cunnane 2007;Dyall 2015;Weiser et al 2016).…”

Fatty Acid Composition and Contents of Seven Commercial Fish Species of Genus Coregonus from Russian Subarctic Water Bodies

“…In recent decades, many extensive clinical and epidemiological studies have demonstrated a key importance of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of the omega-3 (n-3) family, namely eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), for healthy functioning of human cardiovascular and neural systems [1][2][3][4]. To prevent many cardiovascular diseases and psychiatric disorders, a personal daily consumption of 0.5-1 g of EPA + DHA has been recommended by a number of national and international health organizations [5][6][7][8]. The main food source of EPA and DHA for most humans is fish [9][10][11][12].…”