EFFECT OF DIETARY FISH-OIL SUPPLEMENTATION ON FEVER AND CYTOKINE PRODUCTION IN HUMAN VOLUNTEERS

The effect of dietary fish oil supplementation on acute phase response s to intramuscular injection of typhoid vaccine, and in vitro cytokine production, was investigated in human volunteers. Half of the subject s supplemented their normal diet with 4.5 g/day of fish oil for 6-8 we eks. Injection of typhoid vaccine in unsupplemented subjects caused an increase in white cell count, resting heart rate, metabolic rate, oxy gen consumption, and oral temperature. Fish oil supplementation inhibi ted the tachycardia and attenuated the maximal increases in oral tempe rature and metabolic rate following typhoid vaccine. However, interpre tation of these latter results were complicated by similarly attenuate d responses in saline-injected subjects. The in vitro production of in terleukin-1 and interleukin-6 from whole blood was suppressed by fish oil supplementation, however, production. of tumor necrosis factor a w as not significantly altered. Fish oil supplementation may therefore p rovide a non-pharmacological approach of attenuating several of the re sponses associated with injury and infection and this may be related t o reduced cytokine (IL-1 and IL-6) production.