Marine Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake Research Articles

Fish consumption, omega-3 fatty acid intake, and risk of pain: the Seniors-ENRICA-1 cohort

Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory and analgesic (anti-nociceptive) actions. However, the relation of habitual omega-3 fatty acid intake and fish consumption - its main food source - with pain remains largely unknown. We examined the association of fish consumption and marine omega-3 fatty acid intake with pain incidence and worsening over 5 years among older adults. Data were taken from the Seniors - ENRICA-1 cohort, which included 950 individuals aged ≥60 years in Spain. Habitual fish consumption and marine omega-3 fatty acid intake during the previous year were assessed in 2008-2010 and 2012 with a validated diet history. Pain was assessed in 2012 and 2017 with a scale developed from the Survey on Chronic Pain in Europe, ranging from 0 (no pain) to 6 (highest pain), according to its severity, frequency, and number of locations. Analyses on pain incidence were conducted in the 524 participants free of pain at baseline, while those on pain worsening were performed in the overall cohort, and both were adjusted for sociodemographic variables, lifestyle, morbidity, and diet quality. Higher oily fish consumption was associated with reduced pain incidence and worsening over 5 years [fully adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval)=0.68 (0.50,0.94) and 0.70 (0.55,0.88) for every 25g/day increment (1.5 servings/week), respectively]. Total and white fish consumption were not associated with pain. Higher marine omega-3 fatty acid intake was inversely associated with pain worsening [odds ratio (95% confidence interval) per 0.5g/day increment=0.83 (0.72,0.96)]. The corresponding associations for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were 0.53 (0.33,0.87) and 0.73 (0.57,0.94). In this cohort of Spanish older adults, increased oily fish consumption was inversely associated with pain incidence and worsening over 5 years, while higher marine omega-3 fatty acid intake (and that of EPA and DHA) was linked to less pain worsening.

Association of fish intake and smoking with risk of rheumatoid arthritis and age of onset: a prospective cohort study

BackgroundPrior studies suggest that fish may be protective for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) risk perhaps through the anti-inflammatory effect of omega-3 fatty acid, but this relationship has not been clearly established. Therefore, we investigated fish intake and RA risk by serologic status, age of onset, and smoking using a prospective cohort study with large sample size, repeated measures of dietary intake, and lengthy follow-up.MethodsWe studied fish intake and RA risk among 166,013 women in two prospective cohorts, the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS, 1984–2014) and NHSII (1991–2015). Fish intake was assessed using food frequency questionnaires at baseline and every 4 years. Incident RA during follow-up and serologic status were determined by medical record review. Pooled Cox regression models estimated hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for RA (overall and by serologic status and age at diagnosis) for fish intake frequency. We tested for a smoking-fish interaction for RA risk.ResultsDuring 3,863,909 person-years of follow-up, we identified 1080 incident RA cases. Increasing fish intake was not associated with all RA (≥4 servings/week: multivariable HR 0.93 [95%CI 0.67–1.28] vs. < 1 serving/month; p for trend = 0.42), seropositive RA (p for trend = 0.66), or seronegative RA (p for trend = 0.45), but had increased risk for RA diagnosed > 55 years old (p for trend = 0.037). Among women ≤55 years old, frequent fish intake (vs. infrequent) had HRs (95%CIs) of: 0.73 (0.52–1.02) for all RA, 0.85 (0.55–1.32) for seropositive RA, and 0.55 (0.32–0.94) for seronegative RA. Ever smokers with infrequent fish intake had highly elevated risk for RA onset ≤55 years (HR 2.59, 95%CI 1.65–4.06), while ever smokers with frequent fish intake had modestly elevated RA risk (HR 1.29, 95%CI 1.07–1.57; vs. never smokers/frequent fish intake; p for smoking-fish interaction = 0.039).ConclusionIn this large prospective cohort study, we found no clear protective effect of fish or marine omega-3 fatty acid intake on RA risk, overall or by serologic status. We found that fish intake attenuated the strong association of smoking for RA diagnosed ≤55 years of age, but this requires further study.

Mo1730 - Postdiagnosis Marine Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake and Survival of Stage III Colon Cancer in North Center Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) Phase III Trial N0147 (Alliance)

Mo1730 - Postdiagnosis Marine Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake and Survival of Stage III Colon Cancer in North Center Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) Phase III Trial N0147 (Alliance)

Fish Consumption, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease.

Data on omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in relation to cardiovascular disease are limited in women. The aim of this study was to examine longitudinal relations of tuna and dark fish, α-linolenic acid, and marine omega-3 fatty acid intake with incident major cardiovascular disease in women. This was a prospective cohort study of U.S. women participating in the Women's Health Study from 1993 to 2014, during which the data were collected and analyzed. A total of 39,876 women who were aged ≥45 years and free of cardiovascular disease at baseline provided dietary data on food frequency questionnaires. Analyses used Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate the association between fish and energy-adjusted omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and the risk of major cardiovascular disease, defined as a composite outcome of myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular death, in 38,392 women in the final analytic sample (96%). During 713,559 person years of follow-up, 1,941 cases of incident major cardiovascular disease were confirmed. Tuna and dark fish intake was not associated with the risk of incident major cardiovascular disease (p-trend >0.05). Neither α-linolenic acid nor marine omega-3 fatty acid intake was associated with major cardiovascular disease or with individual cardiovascular outcomes (all p-trend >0.05). There was no effect modification by age, BMI, or baseline history of hypertension. In this cohort of women without history of cardiovascular disease, intakes of tuna and dark fish, α-linolenic acid, and marine omega-3 fatty acids were not associated with risk of major cardiovascular disease.

Vitamin D and the omega-3 fatty acids control serotonin synthesis and action, part 2: relevance for ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and impulsive behavior.

Serotonin regulates a wide variety of brain functions and behaviors. Here, we synthesize previous findings that serotonin regulates executive function, sensory gating, and social behavior and that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and impulsive behavior all share in common defects in these functions. It has remained unclear why supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D improve cognitive function and behavior in these brain disorders. Here, we propose mechanisms by which serotonin synthesis, release, and function in the brain are modulated by vitamin D and the 2 marine omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Brain serotonin is synthesized from tryptophan by tryptophan hydroxylase 2, which is transcriptionally activated by vitamin D hormone. Inadequate levels of vitamin D (∼70% of the population) and omega-3 fatty acids are common, suggesting that brain serotonin synthesis is not optimal. We propose mechanisms by which EPA increases serotonin release from presynaptic neurons by reducing E2 series prostaglandins and DHA influences serotonin receptor action by increasing cell membrane fluidity in postsynaptic neurons. We propose a model whereby insufficient levels of vitamin D, EPA, or DHA, in combination with genetic factors and at key periods during development, would lead to dysfunctional serotonin activation and function and may be one underlying mechanism that contributes to neuropsychiatric disorders and depression. This model suggests that optimizing vitamin D and marine omega-3 fatty acid intake may help prevent and modulate the severity of brain dysfunction.

Dietary Fatty Acid Intake and Prostate Cancer Survival in Orebro County, Sweden

Although dietary fat has been associated with prostate cancer risk, the association between specific fatty acids and prostate cancer survival remains unclear. Dietary intake of 14 fatty acids was analyzed in a population-based cohort of 525 Swedish men with prostate cancer in Örebro County (1989-1994). Multivariable hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for time to prostate cancer death by quartile and per standard deviation increase in intake were estimated by Cox proportional hazards regression. Additional models examined the association by stage at diagnosis (localized: T0-T2/M0; advanced: T0-T4/M1, T3-T4/M0). Among all men, those with the highest omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid and total marine fatty acid intakes were 40% less likely to die from prostate cancer (P(trend) = 0.05 and 0.04, respectively). Among men with localized prostate cancer, hazard ratios of 2.07 (95% confidence interval: 0.93, 4.59; P(trend) = 0.03) for elevated total fat, 2.39 (95% confidence interval: 1.06, 5.38) for saturated myristic acid, and 2.88 (95% confidence interval: 1.24, 6.67) for shorter chain (C4-C10) fatty acid intakes demonstrated increased risk for disease-specific mortality for the highest quartile compared with the lowest quartile. This study suggests that high intake of total fat and certain saturated fatty acids may worsen prostate cancer survival, particularly among men with localized disease. In contrast, high marine omega-3 fatty acid intake may improve disease-specific survival for all men.

Abstract MP002: Dietary Intake of Marine Omega-3 Fatty Acids is Directly Associated with Coronary Flow Reserve among Male Middle-Aged Twins

Introduction: Evidence from previous studies suggests that dietary marine omega-3 fatty acids have cardioprotective properties. However, our understanding of the mechanism for these beneficial effects remains limited. We sought to examine the association between marine omega-3 fatty acid intake and coronary flow reserve (CFR), a measure of overall coronary vasodilator capacity and microvascular function. Hypothesis: Increased dietary intake of marine omega-3 fatty acids is associated with higher CFR. Methods: A sample of 259 male middle-aged twins, including 115 monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs and 29 unpaired twins, with no previous history of coronary heart disease (CHD), was recruited from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry. Prior to the study visit, all twins completed a 3-day food record detailing their diet for the previous three days. Dietary information was analyzed using specialized nutrition software and reported intakes of various types of fish were used to derive marine omega-3 fatty acid (docosahexaenoic acid [DHA] and eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA]) intake. CFR was measured using positron emission tomography [N 13 ] ammonia with quantitation of myocardial blood flow at rest and after adenosine stress. Mixed-effect regression analysis was used to assess the association between marine omega-3 fatty acid intake and CFR both at the individual level and within twin pairs. Potential confounders included demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors (including physical activity), traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, use of omega-3 and multivitamin supplements, total energy intake, and other nutritional factors such as intake of cholesterol, sodium, alcohol, sugar-sweetened beverages, and saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. Results: The twins’ mean age was 54 years (SD = 3.0) and 93.1% (241 out of 259) were white. An increase in dietary intake of marine omega-3 fatty acids of 1 g/d was associated with a 7.6% higher CFR (95% CI: 0.6, 15.2) after adjustment for potential confounders ( P = 0.033). This association also persisted within twin pairs: a 1 g/d within-pair difference in dietary intake of marine omega-3 fatty acids was associated with a 16.3% higher CFR in the twin with the greater dietary intake of marine omega-3 fatty acids than in the co-twin with the lower dietary intake ( P = 0.020). These associations did not differ by zygosity. Conclusions: Dietary intake of marine omega-3 fatty acids is directly associated with CFR, a measure of coronary microvascular function, independent of traditional CVD risk factors and shared familial and genetic factors. Our study suggests a potential novel mechanism for the protective effects of dietary marine omega-3 fatty acids on the cardiovascular system and supports the benefit of consuming marine omega-3 fatty acids to promote cardiovascular health.

Fish Intake, Marine Omega-3 Fatty Acids, and Mortality in a Cohort of Postmenopausal Women

Intake of fish or omega-3 fatty acids may decrease risk of total and coronary heart disease death, but evidence from low-risk populations is less convincing. The authors assessed intake by using a food frequency questionnaire at baseline in a cohort of Iowa women aged 55-69 years. Among women initially free of heart disease and cancer (4,653 deaths over 442,965 person-years), there was an inverse age- and energy-adjusted association between total mortality and fish intake, with a relative risk of 0.82 (95% confidence interval: 0.74, 0.91) for the highest versus lowest quintile. Age- and energy-adjusted associations also were inverse (p for trend < 0.05), although not entirely monotonic, for cardiovascular, coronary heart disease, and cancer mortality. Adjustment for multiple other risk factors attenuated all associations to statistically nonsignificant levels. Estimated marine omega-3 fatty acid intake also was not associated with total or cause-specific mortality. In comparison, plant-derived alpha-linolenic acid was inversely associated with mortality after multivariable adjustment. Intake of neither fish nor marine omega-3 fatty acids was associated with breast cancer incidence. These findings do not argue against recommending fish as part of a healthy diet, as other evidence suggests benefit. Nevertheless, the authors of this 1986-2000 study could not verify that fish and marine omega-3 fatty acid intake had independent health benefits in these postmenopausal women.