Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications
Publication Date
4-22-2021
Journal
Nature Communications
DOI
10.1038/s41467-021-22370-2
PMID
33888689
PMCID
PMC8062567
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
4-22-2021
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Published Open-Access
yes
Keywords
Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Cause of Death, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Mortality, Premature, Prospective Studies, Protective Factors, Risk Factors, Predictive markers, Risk factors
Abstract
The health effects of omega-3 fatty acids have been controversial. Here we report the results of a de novo pooled analysis conducted with data from 17 prospective cohort studies examining the associations between blood omega-3 fatty acid levels and risk for all-cause mortality. Over a median of 16 years of follow-up, 15,720 deaths occurred among 42,466 individuals. We found that, after multivariable adjustment for relevant risk factors, risk for death from all causes was significantly lower (by 15-18%, at least p < 0.003) in the highest vs the lowest quintile for circulating long chain (20-22 carbon) omega-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acids). Similar relationships were seen for death from cardiovascular disease, cancer and other causes. No associations were seen with the 18-carbon omega-3, alpha-linolenic acid. These findings suggest that higher circulating levels of marine n-3 PUFA are associated with a lower risk of premature death.
Included in
Biochemical Phenomena, Metabolism, and Nutrition Commons, Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Commons, Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism Commons, Nutrition Commons