Blood n-3 fatty acid levels and total and cause-specific mortality from 17 prospective studies

Harris, William S.; Sala Vila, Aleix; The Fatty Acids and Outcomes Research Consortium (FORCE)

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22370-2

Blood n-3 fatty acid levels and total and cause-specific mortality from 17 prospective studies

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Harris WS, Tintle NL, Imamura F, Qian F, Korat AVA, Marklund M et al. Blood n-3 fatty acid levels and total and cause-specific mortality from 17 prospective studies. Nat Commun. 2021;12(1):2329. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22370-2

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.