Daily 4.8g of perilla oil for 8 weeks raises blood omega-3 levels, human trial finds

A human clinical trial has found that consistently consuming domestically produced perilla oil for eight weeks significantly increases plant-based omega-3 fatty acid levels in the blood. Changes were also observed in certain markers related to blood coagulation and inflammation. The findings are expected to accelerate the development of functional ingredients, as evidence supporting the use of perilla oil as a functional food material — including in health functional foods — has now been established.

The Korea Food Industry Cluster Promotion Agency announced Friday that results of a human application trial on perilla oil, conducted through its Domestic Ingredient Functionality Identification Project, had been published in the international food science journal Food & Function.

The study found that participants in the perilla oil group showed a significant increase in the proportion of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) — a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid — in both plasma and red blood cells after eight weeks. The proportion of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), another omega-3 fatty acid, also rose in plasma. ALA is an essential fatty acid the body cannot produce on its own and must be obtained through diet; perilla oil is a rich source of it.

Changes were also observed in markers related to blood coagulation and inflammation. After perilla oil consumption, the collagen-induced ADP closure time — an indicator of platelet function — increased significantly. Messenger RNA expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and T-box transcription factor 21 (TBX21) decreased significantly. The researchers said the findings confirmed that perilla oil consumption may influence platelet activity and inflammatory responses alongside the increase in blood omega-3 levels.

The findings were published in Food & Function, a journal issued by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The paper was made available online on May 13 and formally published June 22. According to the agency, the journal ranks in the top 17 percent of food science publications by Journal Citation Reports standards, and the paper was selected as the cover article for its issue.

Building on the results, the agency plans to pursue registration of domestic perilla oil as an individually recognized ingredient — a category of health functional food ingredient reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for safety and efficacy. Once verified and recognized as a functional ingredient by the ministry, perilla oil is expected to find broader application in health functional foods and other functional-label food products that meet the relevant requirements.

Since 2020, the agency has been working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs through the Domestic Ingredient Functionality Identification Project to establish the functional properties of Korean agricultural products — including black raspberries, garlic and dangjo peppers — in support of their use as food ingredients.