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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2021 Jan-Dec;13(1):1-11.
doi: 10.1080/19490976.2020.1863133.

The prebiotic effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation: A six-week randomised intervention trial

Amrita Vijay  1   2 , Stuart Astbury  3   4 , Caroline Le Roy  1 , Tim D Spector  1 , Ana M Valdes  1   2   4
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The prebiotic effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation: A six-week randomised intervention trial

Amrita Vijay et al. Gut Microbes. 2021 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

Prebiotics are compounds in food that benefit health via affecting the gut microbiome. Omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with differences in gut microbiome composition and are widely accepted to have health benefits, although recent large trials have been inconclusive. We carried out a 6-week dietary intervention comparing the effects of daily supplementation with 500 mg of omega-3 versus 20 g of a well-characterized prebiotic, inulin. Inulin supplementation resulted in large increases in Bifidobacterium and Lachnospiraceae. In contrast, omega-3 supplementation resulted in significant increases in Coprococcus spp. and Bacteroides spp, and significant decreases in the fatty-liver associated Collinsella spp. On the other hand, similar to the results with inulin supplementation which resulted in significant increases in butyrate, iso-valerate, and iso-butyrate (p < .004), omega-3 supplementation resulted in significant increases in iso-butyrate and isovalerate (p < .002) and nearly significant increases in butyrate (p < .053). Coprococcus, which was significantly increased post-supplementation with omega-3, was found to be positively associated with iso-butyric acid (Beta (SE) = 0.69 (0.02), P = 1.4 x 10-3) and negatively associated with triglyceride-rich lipoproteins such as VLDL (Beta (SE) = -0.381 (0.01), P = .001) and VLDL-TG (Beta (SE) = -0.372 (0.04), P = .001) after adjusting for confounders. Dietary omega-3 alters gut microbiome composition and some of its cardiovascular effects appear to be potentially mediated by its effect on gut microbial fermentation products indicating that it may be a prebiotic nutrient.

Keywords: Dietary intervention; Fibre; Gut microbiota; Omega 3; Prebiotic.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
(a) Difference in Shannon α diversity index between inulin fiber and omega-3 at baseline and follow up (p = .62). (b) Differences in beta diversity index between inulin fiber and omega-3 at visit 1 (baseline) and visit 2 (follow up). P-values assessed by paired t-test
Figure 1.
Figure 1.
(a) Difference in Shannon α diversity index between inulin fiber and omega-3 at baseline and follow up (p = .62). (b) Differences in beta diversity index between inulin fiber and omega-3 at visit 1 (baseline) and visit 2 (follow up). P-values assessed by paired t-test
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Forest plot of effect sizes with 95% confidence intervals showing association of all significant (FDR adjusted p value <.05) OTUs in the Fiber and omega-3 intervention arms. Smaller dots on the fiber and omega-3 arm indicate a loss of statistical significance. Association was tested by paired t-tests between baseline and follow-up
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Forest plot of effect sizes with 95% confidence intervals showing association of all significant (FDR adjusted p value <.05) OTUs in the Fiber and omega-3 intervention arms. Smaller dots on the fiber and omega-3 arm indicate a loss of statistical significance. Association was tested by paired t-tests between baseline and follow-up
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Heat map showing OTUs clustered at genus level and their association with serum metabolites. Values are beta coefficients from linear models adjusted for BMI, age and gender. The heat map is color coded by correlation according to the table legend (dark blue for positive and light blue for negative correlations). p values are adjusted for FDR and are indicated as FDR p < .05 (*) p < .01 (**)
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Heat map showing OTUs clustered at genus level and their association with serum metabolites. Values are beta coefficients from linear models adjusted for BMI, age and gender. The heat map is color coded by correlation according to the table legend (dark blue for positive and light blue for negative correlations). p values are adjusted for FDR and are indicated as FDR p < .05 (*) p < .01 (**)
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