Effects of the Switching From High-Purity Eicosapentaenoic Acid to Combination of Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid on Metabolic Parameters: A Retrospective Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Background: Effects of the switching from high-purity eicosapentaenoic acid ester (hp-EPA) to n-3 fatty acid formulation containing EPA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on metabolic parameters remain largely unknown.

Methods: We retrospectively picked up patients who had been prescribed EPA + DHA for 2 months or longer after the prescription of hp-EPA for 2 months or longer between January 2010 and December 2015. We compared the data at baseline and at 2 months after the switching from hp-EPA to EPA + DHA.

Results: Thirty-six patients were eligible for the analyses in our study. Serum triglyceride (TG) showed a non-significant decrease by approximately 9% after the switching. Serum TG showed a non-significant decrease by 24% and 10%, in the switching to the formulation including half daily dose of EPA and DHA and the formulation including the same daily dose of EPA and DHA, respectively. In patients who had shown a decrease in TG after the switching, serum TG at baseline was higher than that in patients who had shown an increase and non-change in TG after the switching. Further, in patients who had shown a decrease in TG after the switching to the formulation including the same daily dose of EPA and DHA, serum TG was significantly higher than that in patients who had shown an increase and non-change in TG. In the analysis of all patients, in patients with baseline TG >= 150 mg/dL, TG tended to decrease. In the analysis of patients who underwent the switching to the formulation including the same daily dose of EPA and DHA, in patients with baseline TG >= 150 mg/dL, TG significantly decreased.

Conclusion: We studied effects of the switching from hp-EPA to EPA + DHA on metabolic parameters, and found that the switching is more effective to reduce TG in patients with higher TG levels at baseline.




J Endocrinol Metab. 2016;6(3):75-79
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jem348w