Can Omega-3 EPA Protect the Body During Combined Heat and Ozone Exposure? A New Study Design

This article describes the design of an upcoming clinical trial called HOEPA, which will investigate how the combination of extreme heat and ozone air pollution affects heart and metabolic health, and whether omega-3 EPA supplementation might help offset any negative effects.

Researchers plan to enroll 48 healthy adults who will take either 3 grams per day of EPA or a corn oil placebo for four weeks. After a washout period, participants will be exposed to controlled chamber conditions simulating hot weather (32°C) combined with elevated ozone levels (200 ppb) to study how the body responds acutely.

The main measurement will be a blood clotting test (activated partial thromboplastin time), with additional measures of blood clotting factors, platelet activity, blood vessel function, and markers of oxidative stress. Researchers will also track EPA levels in red blood cells to confirm that participants actually absorbed the supplement and that levels return to baseline after washout.

Because this is a study protocol rather than a completed trial, no results are available yet—this paper simply lays out the plan and hypothesis that EPA supplementation may help reduce cardiometabolic stress caused by heat and ozone exposure combined.