12-weeks of Calanus finmarchicus oil intake improves omega-3-index in healthy older subjects engaging in an exercise program.

The omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) play an important role in human health. As the intake of EPA and DHA from the diet is often inadequate, supplementation of those fatty acids is recommended. A novel source of n-3 PUFAs is the oil from Calanus finmarchicus (CO) which contains fatty acids mainly bound in wax esters. To date, no data is available on the effects of long-term intake of this marine oil on n-3 PUFA blood levels. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of CO on the n-3 PUFA blood levels using the omega-3-index (O3I). The data originate from a larger randomized controlled trial. For this analysis samples from 72 participants (59.2 ± 6.2 years, BMI was 27.7 ± 5.28 kg/m2) were analyzed. Of those, 36 performed 2x/week exercise and received 2g of CO, which provided 124 mg stearidonic acid (SDA), 109 mg EPA, and 87 mg DHA daily (EXCO group), while the other group performed exercise only (EX group) and served as a control for this analysis. The O3I increased from 6.07 ± 1.29% at baseline to 7.37 ± 1.10% after 12 weeks within the EXCO group (p<0.001), while there were no significant changes in the EX group (6.01 ± 1.26% to 6.15 ± 1.32%, p=0.238). These data provide first evidence that wax ester-bound n-3 PUFAs from CO can significantly increase the omega-3-index despite relatively low EPA+DHA amounts. Further, the effects of exercise could be excluded.