The effect of short‐term diets rich in fish, red meat, or white meat on thromboxane and prostacyclin synthesis in humans

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Abstract
Foods which increase tissue arachidonic acid levels have been proposed to increase thrombosis tendency, presumably through increased platelet aggregation. This study examined the effect of doubling the dietary arachidonic acid (20∶4n−6) using meat‐ or fish‐based diets on the systemic production of prostacyclin (PGl2) and thromboxane (TXA2) in 29 healthy, nonsmoking adults. There were three, 3‐wk low‐fat dietary periods (Pex vivo platelet TXB2 production, or the systemic PGl2 or TXA2 production as measured by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry analysis of the excretion levels of the principal urinary metabolites 2,3‐dinor‐6‐keto‐PGF1α (PGl2‐M) and 11‐dehydro‐TXB2 (TXA2‐M), respectively. The fish diet decreased the 20∶4n−6/20∶5n−3 ratio in platelet PL from the baseline level of 45∶1 to 13∶1 (P2, production (collagen‐stimulated) and TXA2‐M production, while PGl2‐M levels were unaltered. These results indicate that short‐term diets which double the usual 20∶4n−6 intake using white meat (175–330 g/d) or red meat (275–530 g/d) are not associated with an increased TXA2 production, but this does not rule out the adverse effects of 20∶4n−6 at higher levels in the diet, or for more prolonged periods. Short‐term diets containing fish (100–200 g/d with 90–210 mg/d 20∶4n−6 and approximately 650–1000 mg/d 20∶5n−3) led to significant increases in platelet 20∶5n−3 levels and a decrease in the ex vivo and systemic TXA2 production.