HealthyNCT00682318
Effects of Fish Oil and Red Wine on Oxidative Stress Biomarkers
A study testing Fish Oil, Safflower Oil and Ethanol in people with Healthy, run by Carsten Skarke, MD at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) recently encouraged "increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids in the form of fish or capsule form (1 g/day) for risk reduction" and stated that "for treatment of elevated triglycerides, higher doses are usually necessary for risk… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 21 to 60 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Healthy
- What is being tested?
- Fish Oil, Safflower Oil and Ethanol
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 40 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- May 2008to Nov 2029
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 21 to 60 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Age between 21 - 60,
- Subjects must be in good health as based on medical history, physical examination, vital signs, and laboratory tests.
- All Subjects have to adhere to the following criteria:
- Must be non-smoking volunteers (both male and non-pregnant females) due to a significant influence of smoking and overweight on the outcome measures of lipid peroxidation,
- Must be of normal weight with a body mass index (BMI) ≤ 25. The correlation between the BMI number and body fatness is fairly strong; however it varies by sex, race, and age. These variations include the following examples: At the same BMI, women tend to have more body fat than men; at the same BMI, older people, on average, tend to have more body fat than younger adults; highly trained athletes may have a high BMI because of increased muscularity rather than increased body fatness; source at http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_BMI/index.html. Therefore, subjects with a BMI > 25 can be enrolled at the discretion of the PI in writing.
- Female subjects of child bearing potential must be using a medically acceptable method of contraception (oral contraception, depo-provera injection, IUD, condom with spermicide, diaphragm, cervical cap, progestin implant, abstinence, tubal ligation, oophorectomy, TAH) throughout the entire study period. All female subjects must consent to a urine pregnancy test at screening and just prior to the start of each treatment phase of the study (first study visit, every ethanol administration visit, at first visit of fish oil administration), and during the third week of fish oil administration. All pregnancy tests must be negative at all time points.
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- Male subjects must be surgically sterile and/or agree to use condoms throughout the duration of the study.
- Persons who consume vitamin supplements are required to undergo a "washout period" of ≥ five weeks without supplement prior to study enrollment (in analogy to Block G, et al. Am J Epidemiol 2002; 156: 274)
- Urine ethanol assessment indicating abstinence.
Who cannot join
- Female subjects who are pregnant or nursing a child.
- Subjects, who have received an experimental drug, used an experimental medical device within 30 days prior to screening, or who gave a blood donation of ≥ one pint within 8 weeks prior to screening.
- Subjects with any coagulation, bleeding or blood disorders.
- Subjects with nutritional inefficiencies in Fe, Zn, Cu, Mg (according to 61)
- Subjects who are sensitive or allergic to fish, fish oil or fish-containing products.
- Subjects with any evidence of cancer or history of significant cardiovascular disease (including stroke or TIA), renal, hepatic, respiratory, endocrine, metabolic, hematopoietic or neurological disorder.
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- Subjects with a systolic blood pressure above 160 or a diastolic blood pressure above 95,
- Subjects with any evidence of GI disorders that could interfere with fat absorption
- Subjects with an intention to lose weight during their participation in the trial
- Subjects with any abnormal laboratory value or physical finding that according to the investigator may interfere with interpretation of the study results, be indicative of an underlying disease state, or compromise the safety of a potential subject. Subjects who have had a history of drug or alcohol abuse within the last 6 months.
- Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin > 6% indicating chronic alcohol abuse
- Complete abstinence from alcohol
- Intake of more than three alcoholic drinks per day
- Subjects with a history of cancer, including skin cancer
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT), University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104
About this study
Official title: Effects of Fish Oil and Red Wine on Oxidative Stress Biomarkers: a Randomized Double-blinded Trial on the Modulation of the Eicosanoid and Isoprostane Pathways in Healthy Subjects by Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Red Wine.
The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) recently encouraged "increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids in the form of fish or capsule form (1 g/day) for risk reduction" and stated that "for treatment of elevated triglycerides, higher doses are usually necessary for risk reduction" (Smith SC et al. Circulation 2006;113:2363-72). These recommendations are based on conflicting evidence about the efficacy of the omega-3 treatment with data derived from single randomized trials or non-randomized studies (Smith SC et al. Circulation 2006;113:2363-72). Much effort has been undertaken to elucidate the role of omega-3 fatty acids in the development of cardiovascular disease, but even recent meta-analyses deliver no clear picture; they either favor (Mozaffarian D Jama 2006;296:1885-99) or reject (Hooper L Bmj 2006;332:752-60) the hypothesis of cardioprotective effects of omega-3 FAs.
The objective of the clinical study is to study the effects of fish oil on blood and urinary markers of inflammation and cell stress. By using different permutations of high-dose supplementation of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids versus different alimentary omega-3 fish doses and grain alcohol versus different kinds of red wine, this trial will study how omega-3 fatty acids, ethanol and red wine constituents modulate biomarkers of inflammation and cell stress.
Read the detailed description
This clinical study comprises several parts:
Part 1: Single-arm open oral administration of ethanol in n=40 healthy participants.
Part 1.1: Single-arm open oral administration of fish oil capsules and ethanol in n=12 healthy participants.
Part 2a: Randomized double-blind oral administration of fish oil or safflower oil capsules and ethanol in n=44 healthy participants.
Part 2b: Randomized double-blind oral administration of fish foods or control diet and open oral administration of ethanol in n=40 healthy participants.
Part 3: Randomized double-blind oral administration of fish foods or control diet and red wine beverages in n=40 healthy participants.
- Conditions
- Healthy
- Being tested
- Fish Oil, Safflower Oil, Ethanol, Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid
- Keywords
- Fish oil, red wine, alcohol, oxidative stress, Healthy volunteers
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Fish OilDrug
Also called LovazaTM (former name: Omacor®)
Part 1.1: Dose of 9.3 g/day EPA plus 7.5 g/day DHA;
Part 2a (run-in phase): Dose of 1 time 2 capsules per day of Lovaza (total of 1.7 g/d ω-3 PUFA consisting of 930 mg/day EPA and 750 mg/day DHA) for 29±1 days;
Part 2a (study arm): Dose of 3 times 4 capsules per day of Lovaza (total of 10.1 g/d ω-3 PUFA consisting of 5580 mg/day EPA and 4500 mg/day DHA) for 29±1 days
Safflower OilDietary supplement
Also called Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids
Part 2a: (Study Arm): Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids 3 times 4 capsules per day (total of 10.2 g/d ω-6 PUFA) for 29±1 days
EthanolDietary supplement
Part 1 \& Part 1.1:
Dose of 0.9 g/kg body weight 98% alcohol solution
Part 2a:
Doses of 0.4 and 0.9 g/kg body weight 98% alcohol solution and a control placebo drinking solution
Part 2b, Part 3:
Doses of 0.4, 0.6 and 0.9 g/kg body weight 98% alcohol solution
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acidsDietary supplement
Also called n-3 PUFA alimentary supplementation
Part 2b:
Alimentary diet delivering ≈ 500 mg/day EPA/DHA,or Alimentary diet delivering ≈ 900-1000 mg/day EPA/DHA, or Alimentary diet delivering ≈ 1500-1800 mg/day EPA/DHA;
Part 3:
Alimentary diet delivering EPA/DHA in a quantity to be determined by Part 2b.
Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acidDietary supplement
Also called n-6 PUFA alimentary supplementation
Part 2b:
Control omega-6 fatty acid alimentary diet (<130 mg/day EPA/DHA)
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Fish oil | Experimental | Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) Receives: Drug: Fish Oil; Dietary Supplement: Ethanol; Dietary Supplement: Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids |
| Safflower Oil | Active comparator | Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6 PUFA) Receives: Dietary Supplement: Safflower Oil; Dietary Supplement: Ethanol; Dietary Supplement: Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Urinary isoprostane concentrations
urinary isoprostanes will be analyzed raw (i.e. untransformed, including the Time factor: Baseline vs Peak)
Measured: Hours and days
Secondary outcomes (5)
Urinary eicosanoid concentrations
Time-dependency of urine eicosanoid and isoprostane formation after acute oral ethanol
Measured: Hours and days
Plasma eicosanoid concentrations
plasma eicosanoid response after a single oral dose of 0.9 g/kg body weight 98% ethanol.
Measured: Hours and days
Blood alcohol concentrations
Evaluation of acute toxic alcohol effects
Measured: Hours and days
Blood fatty acid composition
Oral administration of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
Measured: Hours to months
Compositional Changes in the Intestinal Microbiome
Collection of stool samples
Measured: Hours and days
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted22 May 2008 (estimated)
- Study startMay 2008
- Primary completionNov 2028 (estimated)
- Study completionNov 2029 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for HealthyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Carsten Skarke, MD
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- American Heart Association
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Carsten Skarke, MD, University of Pennsylvania
- Investigators
- Garret A FitzGerald, M.D., Principal investigator, Institute for Translational Medicine & Therapeutics, School of MedicineCarsten Skarke, M.D., Principal investigator, Institute for Translational Medicine & Therapeutics, SOM
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00682318
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 807069
- Status last verified
- Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 16 May 2008
- Last updated
- 24 Feb 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 24 Feb 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effects of Fish Oil and Red Wine on Oxidative Stress Biomarkers: a Randomized Double-blinded Trial on the Modulation of the Eicosanoid and Isoprostane Pathways in Healthy Subjects by Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Red Wine.
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00682318
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 807069
- Conditions
- Healthy
- Keywords
- Fish oil, red wine, alcohol, oxidative stress, Healthy volunteers
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Carsten Skarke, MDUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- American Heart Association
- Study start
- May 2008 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Nov 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Nov 2029 (estimated)
- First posted
- 22 May 2008 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) recently encouraged "increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids in the form of fish or capsule form (1 g/day) for risk reduction" and stated that "for treatment of elevated triglycerides, higher doses are usually necessary for risk reduction" (Smith SC et al. Circulation 2006;113:2363-72). These recommendations are based on conflicting evidence about the efficacy of the omega-3 treatment with data derived from single randomized trials or non-randomized studies (Smith SC et al. Circulation 2006;113:2363-72). Much effort has been undertaken to elucidate the role of omega-3 fatty acids in the development of cardiovascular disease, but even recent meta-analyses deliver no clear picture; they either favor (Mozaffarian D Jama 2006;296:1885-99) or reject (Hooper L Bmj 2006;332:752-60) the hypothesis of cardioprotective effects of omega-3 FAs.
The objective of the clinical study is to study the effects of fish oil on blood and urinary markers of inflammation and cell stress. By using different permutations of high-dose supplementation of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids versus different alimentary omega-3 fish doses and grain alcohol versus different kinds of red wine, this trial will study how omega-3 fatty acids, ethanol and red wine constituents modulate biomarkers of inflammation and cell stress.
Detailed description
This clinical study comprises several parts:
Part 1: Single-arm open oral administration of ethanol in n=40 healthy participants.
Part 1.1: Single-arm open oral administration of fish oil capsules and ethanol in n=12 healthy participants.
Part 2a: Randomized double-blind oral administration of fish oil or safflower oil capsules and ethanol in n=44 healthy participants.
Part 2b: Randomized double-blind oral administration of fish foods or control diet and open oral administration of ethanol in n=40 healthy participants.
Part 3: Randomized double-blind oral administration of fish foods or control diet and red wine beverages in n=40 healthy participants.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, investigator)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Fish oil | Experimental | Drug: Fish Oil, Dietary Supplement: Ethanol, Dietary Supplement: Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acidsOmega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) |
| Safflower Oil | Active comparator | Dietary Supplement: Safflower Oil, Dietary Supplement: Ethanol, Dietary Supplement: Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acidOmega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6 PUFA) |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 21 to 60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (9 listed)
- Age between 21 - 60,
- Subjects must be in good health as based on medical history, physical examination, vital signs, and laboratory tests.
- All Subjects have to adhere to the following criteria:
- Must be non-smoking volunteers (both male and non-pregnant females) due to a significant influence of smoking and overweight on the outcome measures of lipid peroxidation,
- Must be of normal weight with a body mass index (BMI) ≤ 25. The correlation between the BMI number and body fatness is fairly strong; however it varies by sex, race, and age. These variations include the following examples: At the same BMI, women tend to have more body fat than men; at the same BMI, older people, on average, tend to have more body fat than younger adults; highly trained athletes may have a high BMI because of increased muscularity rather than increased body fatness; source at http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_BMI/index.html. Therefore, subjects with a BMI > 25 can be enrolled at the discretion of the PI in writing.
Key exclusion criteria (14 listed)
- Female subjects who are pregnant or nursing a child.
- Subjects, who have received an experimental drug, used an experimental medical device within 30 days prior to screening, or who gave a blood donation of ≥ one pint within 8 weeks prior to screening.
- Subjects with any coagulation, bleeding or blood disorders.
- Subjects with nutritional inefficiencies in Fe, Zn, Cu, Mg (according to 61)
- Subjects who are sensitive or allergic to fish, fish oil or fish-containing products.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Fish OilAlso: LovazaTM (former name: Omacor®)Part 1.1: Dose of 9.3 g/day EPA plus 7.5 g/day DHA; Part 2a (run-in phase): Dose of 1 time 2 capsules per day of Lovaza (total of 1.7 g/d ω-3 PUFA consisting of 930 mg/day EPA and 750 mg/day DHA) for 29±1 days; Part 2a (study arm): Dose of 3 times 4 capsules per day of Lovaza (total of 10.1 g/d ω-3 PUFA consisting of 5580 mg/day EPA and 4500 mg/day DHA) for 29±1 days | Drug | Fish oil |
| Safflower OilAlso: Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acidsPart 2a: (Study Arm): Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids 3 times 4 capsules per day (total of 10.2 g/d ω-6 PUFA) for 29±1 days | Dietary supplement | Safflower Oil |
| EthanolPart 1 \& Part 1.1: Dose of 0.9 g/kg body weight 98% alcohol solution Part 2a: Doses of 0.4 and 0.9 g/kg body weight 98% alcohol solution and a control placebo drinking solution Part 2b, Part 3: Doses of 0.4, 0.6 and 0.9 g/kg body weight 98% alcohol solution | Dietary supplement | Fish oil, Safflower Oil |
| Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acidsAlso: n-3 PUFA alimentary supplementationPart 2b: Alimentary diet delivering ≈ 500 mg/day EPA/DHA,or Alimentary diet delivering ≈ 900-1000 mg/day EPA/DHA, or Alimentary diet delivering ≈ 1500-1800 mg/day EPA/DHA; Part 3: Alimentary diet delivering EPA/DHA in a quantity to be determined by Part 2b. | Dietary supplement | Fish oil |
| Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acidAlso: n-6 PUFA alimentary supplementationPart 2b: Control omega-6 fatty acid alimentary diet (<130 mg/day EPA/DHA) | Dietary supplement | Safflower Oil |
Primary outcome
Urinary isoprostane concentrations
Time frame: Hours and days
urinary isoprostanes will be analyzed raw (i.e. untransformed, including the Time factor: Baseline vs Peak)
5 secondary outcomes
Urinary eicosanoid concentrations
Time frame: Hours and days
Plasma eicosanoid concentrations
Time frame: Hours and days
Blood alcohol concentrations
Time frame: Hours and days
Blood fatty acid composition
Time frame: Hours to months
Compositional Changes in the Intestinal Microbiome
Time frame: Hours and days
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 24 Feb 2026.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Garret A FitzGerald, M.D. principal investigator
Institute for Translational Medicine & Therapeutics, School of Medicine
Carsten Skarke, M.D. principal investigator
Institute for Translational Medicine & Therapeutics, SOM
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Fish Oil, Safflower Oil and Ethanol in people with Healthy, run by Carsten Skarke, MD at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 9 inclusion and 14 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 Feb 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Urinary isoprostane concentrations (time frame: Hours and days). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 24 Feb 2026.