effects of purified omega-3 fatty acids on serum lipoproteins and malondialdehyde in postmenopausal fat women receiving hormone replacement therapy

introduction regular intake of n-3 fatty acids of marine origin have desirable effects on serum lipoproteins and reduce coronary vascular disease (cvd). n-3 fatty acid supplementation decreased serum triglyceride concentrations in studies in which most of the subjects were male. the effects of n-3 fatty acids supplementation in fat women especially postmenopausal fat women have received little attention. the aim of this study was to determine whether purified n-3 fatty acids have desirable effects on serum lipoproteins, malondialdehyde (mda) and lipoprotein risk factors for cvd in postmenopausal fat women receiving hormone replacement therapy (hrt). materials and methods in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of parallel design, 35 postmenopausal women receiving hormone replacement therapy were randomly allocated to receive 2 g purified n-3 fatty acids or placebo for 10 weeks. serum lipoproteins and mda were determined on days 0 and 70. results serum levels of triglycerides (tg) decreased significantly in the n-3 fatty acids group at the end of study compared to the initial values, and also compared to control group (26%, p< 0.003 and 29%, p< 0.01, respectively)_in the n-3 fatty acids group, serum levels of tg/hdl-c decreased significantly at the end of the study compared to initial values and, at the end of the study, compared to control group as well (23 %, p <0.05 and 28%, p< 0.05). conclusion supplementation with purified n-3 fatty acids can favorably influence selected chd risk factors, particulary by achieving marked reduction in serum tg and tg/hdl-c levels in postmenopausal fat women receiving hrt.