Fish oil dietary supplementation for prevention of indomethacin induced gastric and small bowel toxicity in healthy volunteers.

OBJECTIVE

To determine if N-3 fatty acid (fish oil) dietary supplements could favorably alter indomethacin induced gastric and small bowel toxicity related to use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID).

METHODS

Healthy volunteers consumed 8 g of N-3 fatty acids for 16 weeks, while controls consumed corn oil. Subjects ingested indomethacin 50 mg tid between Weeks 12 and 16. Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy with biopsies and Cr-EDTA swallows were performed at Week 12 and again at Week 16. Biopsy specimens were graded for inflammation and endoscopic scores were recorded.

RESULTS

No significant differences were seen between groups in any study variable, although the direction of change favored the fish oil subjects for inflammation scores in both the stomach and duodenum (fish oil subjects -0.50 +/- 1.2 stomach, -0.28 +/- 0.97 duodenum; and corn oil subjects +0.10 +/- 0.84 stomach, +0.20 +/- 0.79 duodenum; p = 0.086). Direction of change in stomach inflammation showed a trend favoring fish oil (p = 0.056 by chi square).

CONCLUSIONS

Although no significant differences were seen between groups, the changes observed in inflammation suggest a possible benefit of fish oil in the amelioration of NSAID induced GI inflammation.