Erythrocyte Omega-3 Fatty Acid Content in Elite Athletes in Response to Omega-3 Supplementation: A Dose-Response Pilot Study

Table 1

Fatty acid composition of the diet supplement (gums).

Fatty acid	Composition (%)	1 gum (mg)	2 gums (mg)	3 gums (mg)
MUFA
Oleic (18:1, n-9)	18,5	111	222	334
Vaccenic acid (18:1, n-7)	3,1	19	37	56
Other MUFA	1,4	8	17	25
SFA
Stearic acid (18:0)	1,4	8	17	25
Palmitic acid (16:0)	1,2	7	14	22
Other SFA	0,5	3	6	9
PUFA n-6
Arachidonic acid (20:4, n-6)	1,7	10	20	30
Other n-6	1,9	12	23	35
PUFA n-3
DHA (22:6, n-3)	35,7	214	428	643
EPA (20:5, n-3)	27,7	166	332	499
DPA (22:5, n-3)	3,3	20	40	60
Other n-3	3,5	21	42	63
Total DHA + EPA		380	761	1141

SFA, saturated fatty acid; MUFA, monounsaturated fatty acid; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acid; n-6, Omega-6; n-3, Omega-3; DHA, docosahexaenoic acid, EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid; DPA, docosapentaenoic acid. To determine the quantitative fatty acid (FA) composition, FAs were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results express in molar % of total fatty acids.