Omega-3s May Inhibit Blood Clot Removal

GUELPH, OntarioHigh intake of omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) may reduce the bodys ability to remove blood clots in the short term, according to a new study from the University of Guelph (J Nutr. 2010 Jan;140(1):38-43).

In the study, eight 45-year-old men with metabolic syndrome consumed either water or a high-saturated fat beverage (1 g fat/kg body weight) with either a high or low content of omega-3 longchain polyunsaturated fatty acids  (LCPUFA). Blood samples were collected over 8 hours to measure triacylglycerol (TAG), plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor-1(PAI-1), tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), and platelet aggregation. Both fat loads resulted in a significant increase in whole-blood TAG concentration, plasma PAI-1 and t-PA concentrations, and PAI-1 activity, as well as a significant decrease in t-PA activity after consuming the beverage.

PAI-1 concentration and activity increased more following high-LCPUFA consumption compared with the low-LCPUFA beverage (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the high LCPUFA beverage resulted in a lower t-PA activity (P < 0.05), signifying a lower capacity for fibrinolysis (the process wherein a fibrin clot, the product of coagulation, is broken down). The effects of the two fat loads on the plasma t-PA concentration and platelet aggregation did not differ.