Comparison of the effects of linseed oil and different doses of fish oil on mononuclear cell function in healthy human subjects

Abstract

Studies on animal and human subjects have shown that greatly increasing the amount of linseed (also known as flaxseed) oil (rich in the n-linolenic acid (ALNA)) or fish oil (FO; rich in the long-chain n3 PUFA in human subjects are unclear, dose3 PUFA supply and immune function have not been established and whether ALNA has the same effects as its long-chain derivatives is not known. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to determine the effect of enriching the diet with different doses of FO or with a modest dose of ALNA on a range of functional responses of human monocytes and lymphocytes. In a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel study, forty healthy males aged 185 g ALNA/d or 094 or 10:2, interleukin (IL) 1 by stimulated mononuclear cells. There was little effect of the interventions on lymphocyte proliferation. The two higher doses of FO resulted in a significant decrease in IL-6 production by stimulated mononuclear cells. It is concluded that, with the exception of IL-6 production, a modest increase in intake of either ALNA or EPA+DHA does not influence the functional activity of mononuclear cells. The threshold of EPA+DHA intake that results in decreased IL-6 production is between 094 g/d.