EFFECT OF OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS SUPLEMENTS ON METABOLIC SYNDROME IN ELDERLY RESIDENTS OF KAHRIZAK CHARITY FOUNDATION: DOUBLE BLIND CLINCAL TRIAL

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of disorders which altogether increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 Diabetes. We evaluated the effect of consumption of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on different components of this syndrome. This was a double blind placebo controlled clinical trial on 199 elderly residents of Kahrizak charity foundation in Tehran. Participants were divided into two groups of intervention and control, consisting of 100 and 99 persons, respectively. The intervention group was given the Omega-3 Fatty Acid capsules contain 180 mg EPA and 120 mg DHA once daily. The control group was given placebo once per day. The duration of the study was 6 months in the beginning and after 6 months of the study, blood pressure, waist circumference and Serum levels of ESR, hs-CRP, APO B, APO A1 and Insulin were measured. The study was completed in 89 and 87 participants in the intervention and control groups, respectively. The mean age of intervention and control groups were 74.13 ± 9.96 and 75.17 ± 8.70 years, respectively. Consumption of Omega-3 Fatty Acids could decrease diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.001) and serum Triglyceride levels (P = 0.01) significantly compared to control group. No change was observed in other measured parameters. Consumption of Omega-3 Fatty Acids with dosage used in this study could probably improve symptoms of Metabolic syndrome in the elderly.