Bioavailability of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from phospholipid-rich herring roe oil in men and women with mildly elevated triacylglycerols

Abstract This randomized, single-blind, crossover trial assessed the bioavailability of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) from two different sources, each examined over a 12 h period following consumption of a single serving and after 2-weeks of daily supplementation. Thirty-two adults with fasting triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations between 100 and 399 mg/dL were randomly assigned, with stratification by sex and age, to receive 12 capsules/day containing either phospholipid (PL)-rich herring roe oil (Romega® 30, 628 mg/day EPA; 1810 mg/day DHA; 137 mg/day DPA) or TAG-rich fish oil (575 mg/day EPA; 1843 mg/day DHA; 259 mg/day DPA) each for a 2-week period separated by a 4 week washout. The net incremental area under the curve from 0 to 12 h for EPA, DHA, and EPA+DHA in plasma phosphatidylcholine (PC) were significantly higher ( p p p p =0.422) between Romega 30 (baseline=62.2±3.8 µg/mL vs. end of study=172.9±11.7 µg/mL) and fish oil (baseline=62.0±3.4 µg/mL vs. end of study=185.4±11.2 µg/mL) conditions. Similar results were observed for each individual LC n-3 PUFA in plasma PC after 2 weeks of supplementation. These data demonstrate that PL-rich herring roe is a well-tolerated and bioavailable source of LC n-3 PUFA.