NCT07289919

Exploring Sustainable Alternatives to Marine Oils With Echium and Ahiflower Oils

Exploring Sustainable Alternatives to Marine Oils: A Clinical Trial on the Efficacy of Echium and Ahiflower Oils for Omega-3 Supplementation.

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 15 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Sao Paulo · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 30 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This randomized, single-blind, crossover clinical trial aims to evaluate Echium oil and Ahiflower® oil as sustainable, plant-based alternatives to marine oils for omega-3 supplementation. Although fish oil is the primary dietary source of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), its use as a dietary supplementation presents several drawbacks, including high cost, potential contamination, limited global supply, and sustainability concerns. Echium and Ahiflower oils are naturally rich in stearidonic acid (SDA), a metabolic intermediate that bypasses the rate-limiting Δ6-desaturase step in the omega-3 pathway, potentially enhancing the conversion to EPA. Fifteen participants will undergo three 8-week intervention phases-Echium oil (15 g/day), Ahiflower oil (15 g/day), or EPA capsules (2.34 g/day)-separated by four-week washout periods. Blood samples will be collected before and after each phase to measure fatty acid profiles in plasma, plasma fractions, and erythrocytes using GC-MS. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters will also be assessed. The study seeks to determine whether SDA-rich plant oils can effectively increase EPA levels in humans and potentially reduce the reliance on marine oils for cardiovascular health benefits.

Conditions

• Cardiovascular (CV) Risk
• Atheroscleroses
• Inflamation
• Omega 3 Fatty Acids
• Supplement

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT	Echium oil	Participants consume 15 g/day of Echium oil, incorporated into meals, during one 8-week phase.
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT	Ahiflower oil	Participants consume 15 g/day of Ahiflower® oil, incorporated into meals, during one 8-week phase.
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT	EPA capsules	Participants consume three EPA capsules daily (totaling 2.34 g/day), taken with meals, during one 8-week phase.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-05-26
• Primary completion: 2026-03-05
• Completion: 2026-12-31
• First posted: 2025-12-17
• Last updated: 2025-12-17

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Brazil