Effect of dietary fish oil supplemented with different doses of vitamin e on neutrophil chemotaxis in healthy volunteers

The effect of fish oils supplemented with a high or low dose of vitamin E on neutrophil chemotaxis was investigated in a double-blind crossover study. Twelve healthy volunteers were given 30 mL of either oil (5.4 g eicosapentaenoic acid and 3.2 g docosahexaenoic acid) daily for three weeks The serum vitamin E (α-tocopherol) concentration decreased and the plasma malondialdehyde concentration increased only after supplementation with the low vitamin E fish oil, the latter change indicating increased lipid peroxidation. Both oils decreased neutrophil chemotaxis significantly and there was no significant difference in this respect between the high and low vitamin E oils, indicating that the effect was due primarily to the fish oil and not to the vitamin E. Generation of leukotriene B 4 by neutrophils was unaltered. Dietary supplementation with n-3 fish oil could have beneficial effects in pathological conditions with activated neutrophils, such as ischemic heart disease.