Seafood diets: Hypolipidemic and antiatherogenic effects of taurine and n-3 fatty acids

Background Health aspects of seafood have primarily been linked to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Although animal studies have suggested beneficial contributions from taurine, highly abundant in seafood, its effect in humans is obscure. This study evaluates the combined effects of n-3 PUFA and taurine. Methods Healthy volunteers (n = 80) were recruited to a 7-week double-blind and parallel intervention trial. One group (n = 39) received fish pâté (36 g/day) enriched in n-3 (1.1 g EPA + DHA/day) and the second (n = 41) an identical pâté enriched both in n-3 and taurine (425 mg/day). Results Total cholesterol (TC) (−5%, P < 0.001), low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol (−8%, P < 0.001) and Apo B (−4%, P < 0.001) decreased more in the n-3 + taurine compared to the n-3 group. A significant within-group enhancement of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol was demonstrated in the n-3 + taurine group (6%, P < 0.0001). Reductions in triacylglycerol (TG) (−16%, P < 0.05 in n-3; −14%, P < 0.05 in n-3 + taurine), thromboxane B2 (TxB2) (−21%, P < 0.001 in n-3; −15%, P < 0.05 in n-3 + taurine), tumor necrosis factor (TNFα) (−24%, P < 0.001 in n-3; −12%, P < 0.05 in n-3 + taurine) and monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP-1) (−12%, P < 0.05 in n-3; −6%, P < 0.0001 in n-3 + taurine) were evident in both groups. Reductions in interleukin (IL)-6 (−16%, P < 0.05) and LTB4 (−18%, P < 0.05) were only significant in the n-3 group. Conclusions The effects, particularly on blood lipids, of combining n-3 PUFAʹs and taurine proved superior to those of n-3 alone.