The effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on plasma orexin A, plasma fatty acids, and anthropometric measurements in patients with narcolepsy

Aim: To determine the effect of omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid supplementation on plasma orexin A, plasma fatty acids, and anthropometric measurements in patients with narcolepsy. Materials and methods: The study was performed on 17 males with narcolepsy and 14 healthy males between the ages of 21-55. An n-3 fatty acid supplement of 1.4 g/day was administered to the groups for 2 months. Th e anthropometric measurements of the individuals were taken at the onset and the end of trial, and orexin, fatty acids, and other biochemical parameters in the plasma were analyzed. Results: While there was no statistically significant change in anthropometric measurements or the other body composition values of the patient group (P 0.05), there was a statistically significant increase in the body weight, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, and body fat mass values (kg, %) of the control group (P 0.05). There was no diff erence in the levels of plasma orexin A of the patients within or between groups in the pre- and poststudy measurements (P 0.05). The poststudy plasma serotonin levels of the patients were lower and plasma insulin levels were higher than in the initial study (P 0.05). There was a correlation between the plasma orexin A levels and plasma n-3 fatty acids in individuals in the control group at the onset of the study (P 0.05). Depending on the increase of the fatty acids aft er the n-3 supplementation, a correlation between plasma orexin A levels and some fatty acids was observed (P 0.05). Conclusion: The data demonstrated that supplementation of n-3 fatty acid did not enhance the plasma orexin A level but did affect some other biochemical parameters.