Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), a clinically silent cardiovascular disease in which the body’s main artery becomes weakened in the abdominal area and bulges, is an extremely dangerous condition with no known treatment options other than surgery to prevent a catastrophic and fatal rupture.
 
In a study on AAA patients recently published in the journal Nutrients, researchers hoped to achieve therapeutic benefit through omega-3 supplementation due to this nutrient’s known anti-inflammatory and vasoprotective properties – preliminary results suggested that administration of 1.8 grams of omega-3 fatty acids per day for 12 weeks reduced aortic stiffening, a condition which is tied to AAA progression.
 
While the precise mechanisms by which omega-3 fatty acids improve vascular stiffness are currently unknown, it’s believed that supplementation allows them to concentrate more abundantly in the membrane phospholipids of arteries, where they compete with other fatty acids for enzymes involved in the synthesis of pro-inflammatory molecules. In simple terms, when omega-3s are metabolized at higher rates, they produce less biologically potent compounds than those produced by other blood lipids.  
 
The clinical trial enrolled 30 men with AAA, who were compared to a subset of 20 healthy male participants, and the AAA patients were randomized to receive either the omega-3 capsules, or a placebo capsule containing mostly corn oil and olive oil for 12 weeks. The AAA patients were required to have what was defined as a small AAA, and were excluded if they used fish or krill oil supplements in the past or consumed three fish meals or more per week.
 
All participants were evaluated for compliance, vascular stiffness, heart rate, central blood pressure, and their omega-3 index throughout the trial, at both weeks 3 and 12. The authors of the study noted that the significant reduction in vascular stiffness achieved through omega-3 supplementation for this period of time was in accord with a previous clinical trial involving similarly aged aneurysm patients.
 
In addition to ameliorating arterial stiffness significantly, it was observed that the 12-week supplementation regimen significantly decreased pulse width velocity in the AAA patients.
 
The authors concluded that further studies are warranted to further substantiate their findings.
 
“The study observed elevated [pulse width values] in patients with AAA compared to a healthy control cohort,” they said. “A 12-week LC n-3 PUFA supplementation regimen lowered AAA patient aortic stiffness and resting heart rate to levels that were comparable to the control cohort. While these improvements were likely to be beneficial in terms of the risks associated with the cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, the clinical implications remain to be fully elucidated.”