The effect of fish oil on lipid profile and viscosity of erythrocyte suspensions in CAPD patients.

In this study we investigated the effects of a daily supplementation of 6 g Super-EPA containing 3 g of the marine fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C 20:5 omega-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C 22:6 omega-3) for a period of 8 weeks in nine patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. The concentrations of both HDL2 cholesterol and total HDL cholesterol increased (P less than 0.05) and there was a marked reduction in triglycerides (P less than 0.05). The viscosity of erythrocyte suspensions at a haematocrit of 0.80 decreased at most shear rates, suggesting an increased erythrocyte deformability. Mean corpuscular volume decreased (P less than 0.05) and total cholesterol and phospholipids in the erythrocyte membrane increased. We conclude that the daily use of 3 g of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids by CAPD patients produces favourable effects on lipid profile and viscosity of erythrocyte suspensions, which may be of importance in protecting these patients against a further progression of atherosclerosis.