Grant: Project Grant

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death for both men and women. Overall, women have fewer heart attacks and strokes. However, their protection against CVD decreases after menopause because their blood vessels get stiffer. This allows more plaque buildup on the blood vessel wall. Simply replacing hormones after menopause does not make the blood vessels less stiff. This shows that other factors likely work with hormones to promote cardiovascular health in women. Our research has identified a group of bioactive fat molecules, called oxylipins, that may help protect young women from developing stiff blood vessels. These oxylipins are lower in groups with higher CVD risk, namely older men and postmenopausal women. We have shown that taking fish oil increases these desirable oxylipins. Thus, we predict that supplementation with fish oil is a strategy to decrease stiff blood vessels in higher CVD risk groups. We will test this prediction with a clinical study. Premenopausal and postmenopausal women, as well as men of similar ages, with low omega-3 status will consume fish oil capsules for 12 weeks. We will measure blood oxylipins and blood vessel stiffness and other factors for cardiovascular health at baseline, 6 and 12 weeks. We will measure blood vessel stiffness both in the whole body and in single vessels isolated from skin fat samples. This research will allow us to determine: 1) whether certain groups of oxylipins are associated with good cardiovascular health, 2) if their levels go down after menopause, and 3) if fish oil supplementation can restore desirable oxylipins in postmenopausal women and older men. This work may lead to a better understanding of how CVD develops in women versus men. It can potentially lead to new options for disease prevention and treatment in groups at higher risk of CVD, especially postmenopausal women.