Trial Outcomes & Findings for Academic Stress and Proinflammatory Cytokines: Omega-3 Intervention (NCT NCT00519779)

NCT ID: NCT00519779

Last Updated: 2012-03-27

Results Overview

log-transformed serum Interleukin-6 (IL-6) Serum cytokine levels provide an assessment of systemic inflammation, the cytokine level circulating throughout the body. Higher levels are typically interrupted as worse unless an individual is acutely ill. Stimulated cytokine production reflects the inflammatory cytokine production capacity of monocytes.

Recruitment status

COMPLETED

Study phase

PHASE2

Target enrollment

68 participants

Primary outcome timeframe

every 3 weeks for 3 months after initiating supplementation (outcome reported is the average outcome across all 4 time points)

Results posted on

2012-03-27

Participant Flow

Participant milestones

Participant milestones
Measure
Placebo
Placebo oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation
Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplement
oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation, 2.496 grams of omega-3/day (2085 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid \[EPA\] and 348 mg of docosahexaenoic acid \[DHA\])
Overall Study
STARTED
34
34
Overall Study
COMPLETED
34
33
Overall Study
NOT COMPLETED
0
1

Reasons for withdrawal

Reasons for withdrawal
Measure
Placebo
Placebo oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation
Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplement
oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation, 2.496 grams of omega-3/day (2085 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid \[EPA\] and 348 mg of docosahexaenoic acid \[DHA\])
Overall Study
Withdrawal by Subject
0
1

Baseline Characteristics

Academic Stress and Proinflammatory Cytokines: Omega-3 Intervention

Baseline characteristics by cohort

Baseline characteristics by cohort
Measure
Placebo
n=34 Participants
Placebo oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation
Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplement
n=34 Participants
oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation, 2.496 grams of omega-3/day (2085 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid \[EPA\] and 348 mg of docosahexaenoic acid \[DHA\])
Total
n=68 Participants
Total of all reporting groups
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants
n=99 Participants
0 Participants
n=107 Participants
0 Participants
n=206 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
34 Participants
n=99 Participants
34 Participants
n=107 Participants
68 Participants
n=206 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
0 Participants
n=99 Participants
0 Participants
n=107 Participants
0 Participants
n=206 Participants
Age Continuous
23.4 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.7 • n=99 Participants
23.9 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.0 • n=107 Participants
23.6 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.9 • n=206 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
14 Participants
n=99 Participants
16 Participants
n=107 Participants
30 Participants
n=206 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
20 Participants
n=99 Participants
18 Participants
n=107 Participants
38 Participants
n=206 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
34 participants
n=99 Participants
34 participants
n=107 Participants
68 participants
n=206 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: every 3 weeks for 3 months after initiating supplementation (outcome reported is the average outcome across all 4 time points)

Population: intention to treat

log-transformed serum Interleukin-6 (IL-6) Serum cytokine levels provide an assessment of systemic inflammation, the cytokine level circulating throughout the body. Higher levels are typically interrupted as worse unless an individual is acutely ill. Stimulated cytokine production reflects the inflammatory cytokine production capacity of monocytes.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Placebo
n=34 Participants
Placebo oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation
Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplement
n=34 Participants
oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation, 2.496 grams of omega-3/day (2085 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid \[EPA\] and 348 mg of docosahexaenoic acid \[DHA\])
Serum ln(IL-6)
0.054 ln(pg/mL)
Standard Error 0.070
0.051 ln(pg/mL)
Standard Error 0.069

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: every 3 weeks for 3 months after initiating supplementation (outcome reported is the average outcome across all 4 time points)

Population: intention to treat

log-transformed serum Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) All cytokine measurements (e.g., IL-6 and TNF-a, serum and stimulated) were analyzed across time; however, no stress effects were found. Therefore, all assessments post-supplementation were averaged (time points 3-6) and analyzed to determine whether fish oil supplementation had an effect. Pooling these 4 assessments provides a better estimate of an individual's cytokine levels because single time point measurements can be affected by changes in exercise, alcohol consumption, or sleep in the preceding 24-48 hours.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Placebo
n=34 Participants
Placebo oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation
Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplement
n=34 Participants
oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation, 2.496 grams of omega-3/day (2085 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid \[EPA\] and 348 mg of docosahexaenoic acid \[DHA\])
Serum ln(TNF-a)
0.61 ln(pg/mL)
Standard Error 0.028
0.54 ln(pg/mL)
Standard Error 0.027

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: every 3 weeks for 3 months after initiating supplementation (outcome reported is the average outcome across all 4 time points)

Population: intent to treat

log-transformed stimulated IL-6 Serum cytokine levels provide an assessment of systemic inflammation, the cytokine level circulating throughout the body. Higher levels are typically interrupted as worse unless an individual is acutely ill. Stimulated cytokine production reflects the inflammatory cytokine production capacity of monocytes.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Placebo
n=34 Participants
Placebo oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation
Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplement
n=34 Participants
oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation, 2.496 grams of omega-3/day (2085 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid \[EPA\] and 348 mg of docosahexaenoic acid \[DHA\])
Stimulated ln(IL-6)
11.1 ln(pg/mL)
Standard Error 0.051
10.9 ln(pg/mL)
Standard Error 0.050

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: every 3 weeks for 3 months after initiating supplementation (outcome reported is the average outcome across all 4 time points)

Population: intention to treat

log-transformed stimulated TNF-alpha

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Placebo
n=34 Participants
Placebo oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation
Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplement
n=34 Participants
oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation, 2.496 grams of omega-3/day (2085 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid \[EPA\] and 348 mg of docosahexaenoic acid \[DHA\])
Stimulated ln(TNF-alpha)
7.4 ln(pg/mL)
Standard Error 0.061
7.3 ln(pg/mL)
Standard Error 0.060

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: every 3 weeks for 3 months after initiating supplementation (outcome reported is the average outcome across all 4 time points)

Population: intention to treat

log-transformed Beck anxiety score, min-max values - 0-4.1: higher means greater anxiety

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Placebo
n=34 Participants
Placebo oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation
Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplement
n=34 Participants
oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation, 2.496 grams of omega-3/day (2085 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid \[EPA\] and 348 mg of docosahexaenoic acid \[DHA\])
ln(Beck Anxiety Score)
1.2 units
Standard Error 0.075
0.93 units
Standard Error 0.076

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: every 3 weeks for 3 months after initiating supplementation (outcome reported is the average outcome across all 4 time points)

Population: intention to treat

log-transformed Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) score The CES-D is a self-report scale designed to measure current symptoms of depression rated on a four-point likert scale. Scores range from 0-60, with higher scores indicating a higher frequency of depressive symptoms.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Placebo
n=34 Participants
Placebo oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation
Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplement
n=34 Participants
oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation, 2.496 grams of omega-3/day (2085 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid \[EPA\] and 348 mg of docosahexaenoic acid \[DHA\])
ln(CES-D)
1.6 scores on a
Standard Error 0.097
1.6 scores on a
Standard Error 0.098

Adverse Events

Placebo

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 18 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplement

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 20 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Serious adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Other adverse events

Other adverse events
Measure
Placebo
n=34 participants at risk
Placebo oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation
Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplement
n=34 participants at risk
oral Omega-3 fish oil supplementation, 2.496 grams of omega-3/day (2085 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid \[EPA\] and 348 mg of docosahexaenoic acid \[DHA\])
Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders
Sore throat
23.5%
8/34 • Number of events 8 • 3 months
23.5%
8/34 • Number of events 8 • 3 months
Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders
Nasal symptoms
17.6%
6/34 • Number of events 6 • 3 months
20.6%
7/34 • Number of events 7 • 3 months
Gastrointestinal disorders
Stomach pain
14.7%
5/34 • Number of events 5 • 3 months
17.6%
6/34 • Number of events 6 • 3 months
Cardiac disorders
Tachycardia
17.6%
6/34 • Number of events 6 • 3 months
14.7%
5/34 • Number of events 5 • 3 months
Gastrointestinal disorders
Diarrhea
8.8%
3/34 • Number of events 3 • 3 months
11.8%
4/34 • Number of events 4 • 3 months
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders
Skin rash
14.7%
5/34 • Number of events 5 • 3 months
5.9%
2/34 • Number of events 2 • 3 months
Gastrointestinal disorders
Nausea
5.9%
2/34 • Number of events 2 • 3 months
11.8%
4/34 • Number of events 4 • 3 months
Cardiac disorders
Heartburn
11.8%
4/34 • Number of events 4 • 3 months
5.9%
2/34 • Number of events 2 • 3 months

Additional Information

Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser

The Ohio State University

Phone: 614-293-3499

Results disclosure agreements

  • Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
  • Publication restrictions are in place