Omega-3 fatty acids' effect on leptin and adiponectin concentrations in patients with spinal cord injury: A double-blinded randomized clinical trial.

Context: Omega-3 fatty acids have been recently proposed to induce neural improvement in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) while affecting some hormones including leptin and adiponectin.

Objectives: We tried to evaluate the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on circulatory concentrations of leptin and adiponectin among these patients.

Design: This study is a double-blinded randomized clinical trial with intervention duration of 14 months.

Setting: A tertiary rehabilitation center.

Participants: Total of 104 patients with SCI who did not meet our exclusion criteria entered the study. Those with history of diabetes, cancer, endocrinology disease, acute infection, and use of special medications were excluded. Patients were divided randomly into the treatment and control group by using permuted balanced block randomization.

Intervention: The treatment group received two MorDHA® capsules per day (each capsule contain 465 mg of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 63 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)) for 14 months while the control group received placebo capsules with similar color, shape, and taste.

Main Outcomes Measures: Leptin and adiponectin concentrations in plasma were measured at the beginning of trial and then after 6 and 14 months.

Results: Fourteen months of treatment with DHA and EPA did not influence concentrations of leptin but adiponectin level was significantly decreased (P: 0.03). Weight was positively correlated with leptin level at stage 0 of trial (P: 0.008, r=0.41) while this association was attenuated through stages of trial after intervention.

Conclusion: Our data show that omega-3 fatty acids may not affect plasma concentrations of leptin but adiponectin level is decreased in patients with SCI. Moreover, this intervention influences the linear relationship between weight and leptin after 14 months administration of DHA and EPA.