Gender-specific inhibition of platelet aggregation following omega-3 fatty acid supplementation Phang, M., Sinclair, A. J., Lincz, L. F. and Garg, M. L. 2012, Gender-specific inhibition of platelet aggregation following omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, Nutrition, metabolism & cardiovascular diseases, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 109-114, doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2010.04.012. Attached Files Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads Title Gender-specific inhibition of platelet aggregation following omega-3 fatty acid supplementation Author(s) Phang, M. Sinclair, A. J. Lincz, L. F. Garg, M. L. Journal name Nutrition, metabolism & cardiovascular diseases Volume number 22 Issue number 2 Start page 109 End page 114 Total pages 6 Publisher Medikal Press S.L.R. Place of publication Napoli, Italy Publication date 2012-02 ISSN 0939-4753 1590-3729 Keyword(s) docosahexaenoic acid eicosapentaenoic acid gender platelet aggregation sex hormones Summary Background and Aims : Increased platelet aggregation is a major risk factor for heart attacks, stroke and thrombosis. Long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn-3PUFA; eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA; docosahexaenoic acid, DHA) reduce platelet aggregation; however studies in the published literature involving EPA and/or DHA supplementation have yielded equivocal results. Recent in vitro studies have demonstrated that inhibition of platelet aggregation by LCn-3PUFA is gender specific. We examined the acute effects of dietary supplementation with EPA or DHA rich oils on platelet aggregation in healthy male and females. Methods and Results : A blinded placebo controlled trial involving 15 male and 15 female subjects. Platelet aggregation was measured at 0, 2, 5 and 24 h post-supplementation with a single dose of either a placebo or EPA or DHA rich oil capsules. The relationship between LCn-3PUFA and platelet activity at each time point was examined according to gender vs. treatment. EPA was significantly the most effective in reducing platelet aggregation in males at 2, 5 and 24 h post-supplementation (−11%, −10.6%, −20.5% respectively) whereas DHA was not effective relative to placebo. In contrast, in females, DHA significantly reduced platelet aggregation at 24 h (−13.7%) while EPA was not effective. An inverse relationship between testosterone levels and platelet aggregation following EPA supplementation was observed. Conclusion : Interactions between sex hormones and omega-3 fatty acids exist to differentially reduce platelet aggregation. For healthy individuals, males may benefit more from EPA supplementation while females are more responsive to DHA. Language eng DOI 10.1016/j.numecd.2010.04.012 Field of Research 110101 Medical Biochemistry: Amino Acids and Metabolites Socio Economic Objective 970111 Expanding Knowledge in the Medical and Health Sciences HERDC Research category C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal Copyright notice ©2010, Elsevier B.V. Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30029854 Document type: Journal Article Collections: Faculty of Health School of Medicine Related Links Link Description Connect to published version (restricted access) Go to link with your DU access privileges     Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Versions Version Filter Type Fri, 27 Aug 2010, 14:18:53 EST Fri, 27 Aug 2010, 14:20:05 EST Fri, 08 Oct 2010, 14:20:12 EST Mon, 13 Jun 2011, 11:47:18 EST Thu, 12 Jan 2012, 10:18:01 EST Tue, 07 Feb 2012, 11:26:07 EST Tue, 07 Feb 2012, 11:28:16 EST Mon, 13 Feb 2012, 07:49:19 EST Tue, 03 Feb 2015, 12:42:32 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 35 times in TR Web of Science Cited 37 times in Scopus Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 892 Abstract Views, 2 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Fri, 27 Aug 2010, 14:18:48 EST by Leanne Swaneveld