Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Language

English

Publication Date

3-11-2026

Journal

The Journal of Nutrition

DOI

10.1016/j.tjnut.2026.101471

PMID

41825739

Abstract

Background: Observational evidence supports associations between higher consumption of omega-6 (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) with reduced risks for cardiometabolic diseases. However, some have hypothesized that higher n-6 PUFA intake may be proinflammatory.

Objectives: The purpose of this cross-sectional analysis using baseline data from the Aegis cohort was to examine associations of serum total n-6 PUFA and linoleic acid concentrations with biomarkers of inflammation.

Methods: Serum concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), glycoprotein acetyls, serum amyloid A (SAA), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) were assessed as biomarkers of inflammation. Univariate Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated, and multivariate linear models were used to assess biomarker amounts across quintile categories of serum fatty acids with body mass index (BMI), age, sex, diabetes diagnosis, and n-3 PUFAs as covariates.

Results: Analyses included 2133 participants, of which 63.3% were female and mean (SD) age and BMI were 50.4 (16.7) y and 29.2 (6.68) kg/m2, respectively. Circulating n-6 PUFA and linoleic acid concentrations were inversely correlated with all biomarkers of inflammation, r = -0.049 to -0.455 (each P ≤ 0.03). Least squares geometric means (95% confidence intervals) for quintile categories of circulating concentrations of both n-6 PUFAs and linoleic acid showed that, as these fatty acid concentrations increased, there were statistically significant decreases (P < 0.001) in hs-CRP, glycoprotein acetyls, and sICAM-1 concentrations. Neither SAA nor sVCAM-1 showed any significant trends across quintile categories. A composite sum of Z-scores of all 5 biomarkers of inflammation showed a statistically significant (P < 0.001) inverse trend across increasing quintile categories of n-6 PUFAs and linoleic acid.

Conclusions: These findings do not support the hypothesis that dietary n-6 PUFAs, including linoleic acid, are proinflammatory.

Keywords

glycoprotein acetyls, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, inflammation, linoleic acid, omega-6 fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, serum amyloid A, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1

Published Open-Access

yes

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