Omega-3 Supplements Plus Mediterranean Diet: Effects on Blood Fat Particles in Heart Failure

This clinical trial followed 38 people with heart failure for 24 weeks, comparing a Mediterranean diet alone to the same diet combined with an oral nutritional supplement enriched with omega-3 fatty acids. Researchers used detailed lab testing to measure changes in different types of fat particles in the blood, including VLDL, LDL, and HDL subtypes, and looked separately at patients with and without sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss).

Both approaches led to some improvements in triglyceride-rich particles (VLDL) over the study period. However, the pattern differed depending on muscle status: in patients with sarcopenia, the improvements were mainly seen in the diet-only group, while in patients without sarcopenia, adding the omega-3 supplement produced additional reductions in certain VLDL particle measures.

The study also found some mixed changes in other lipoprotein fractions—for example, an increase in a subtype called IDL cholesterol in the diet-only group, and shifts in LDL and HDL particle numbers across both groups. No significant changes were seen in overall fatty acid families or structural lipids.