Highlights
- •Increased arterial stiffness may increase risk of heart disease in individuals with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH).
- •ω3-FA supplementation improves cardiovascular outcome but its effect on arterial stiffness has not been investigated in FH.
- •We found that ω3-FA supplementation lowered blood pressures and plasma triglycerides in statin-treated FH patients.
- •Our new data also support the use of ω3-FA supplementation to improve arterial elasticity in patients with FH.
Abstract
Background and aims
Increased arterial stiffness is closely linked with raised blood pressure that contributes
substantially to enhanced risk of coronary heart disease in high risk individuals
with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH). Omega-3 fatty acid (ω3-FA) supplementation
has been demonstrated to lower blood pressure in subjects with a high cardiovascular
disease risk. Whether ω3-FA supplementation improves arterial stiffness in FH subjects,
on background statin therapy, has yet to be investigated.
Method and results
We carried out an 8-week randomized, crossover intervention trial to test the effect
of 4 g/d ω3-FA supplementation (46% eicosapentaenoic acid and 38% docosahexaenoic
acid) on arterial elasticity in 20 adults with FH on optimal cholesterol-lowering
therapy. Large and small artery elasticity were measured by pulse contour analysis
of the radial artery. ω3-FA supplementation significantly (P < 0.05 in all) increased
large artery elasticity (+9%) and reduced systolic blood pressure (−6%) and diastolic
blood pressure (−6%), plasma triglycerides (−20%), apoB concentration (−8%). In contrast,
ω3-FAs had no significant effect on small artery elasticity. The change in large artery
elasticity was not significantly associated with changes in systolic blood pressure
or plasma triglyceride concentration.
Conclusions
ω3-FA supplementation improves large arterial elasticity and arterial blood pressure
independent of statin therapy in adults with FH.
Clinical Trial Registration: https://www.clinicaltrials.com/ NCT01577056.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 03, 2016
Accepted:
July 26,
2016
Received in revised form:
July 19,
2016
Received:
February 9,
2016
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The Italian Society of Diabetology, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University.
