http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23281830
Abstract
In
children, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may elicit a
suite of health benefits including enhancement of cognitive development.
Subsequently, dietary supplements containing omega-3 PUFAs have become
increasingly popular. Often, the largest source of beneficial PUFAs in
these supplements is fish oil, which may contain significant levels of
contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The objectives of
this study were to evaluate congener-specific PCB concentrations in 13
over-the-counter children's dietary supplements containing fish
oils/powders and assess potential PCB exposures through ingestion of
these products on a daily basis. Every supplement analysed contained
PCBs, with a mean concentration of 9 ± 8 ng PCBs/g supplement. When
following serving size suggestions, mean daily exposure values ranged
from 2.5 to 50.3 ng PCBs/day. Daily exposures for children's supplements
were significantly lower than those previously reported for adult
supplements and may be explained, in part, by the variability in the
amount of fish oil (and PUFA content) in a serving size. Based on this
study, factors such as fish oil purification methods (e.g., molecular
distillation) and the trophic level of the fish species used to make the
fish oil cannot be used as indicators of PCB levels within children's
supplements. Fish supplements may decrease or increase daily PCB
exposure compared with ingestion of fresh fish. However, eating fish
high in omega-3 PUFAs and low in PCBs may reduce PCB exposure compared
with daily supplementation with fish oils for some products studied.
- PMID:
- 23281830
- [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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