Supplementation of the Diet of Haemodialysis Patients with Portuguese Canned Sardines and Evaluation of ω3 Fatty Acid Level in Erythrocyte Phospholipids

ABSTRACT It is currently accepted that a dietary enrichment with fish or fish-derived lipids is associated with a reduced incidence or amelioration of several pathological conditions, particularly in the cardiovascular area, due to the modification of risk factors through mechanisms related to lipid metabolism and profile. Among the changes of plasma and cells lipid profile responsible for this prevention is the increase of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA-20:5ω3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA-22:6ω3) levels in cell membrane phospholipids. Provided that haemodialysis patients present a high risk of cardiovascular disease, they constitute a group where the evaluation of the putative beneficial effects of dietary supplementation with ω3 fatty acids supplementation is of interest. A group of 23 haemodialysis patients and a control group of 10 healthy volunteers were submitted to a diet supplemented with Portuguese canned sardine (4.3 g of ω3 fatty acids; 2.1 g EPA and 1.33 g DHA) three times per week during 3 mont...