n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, fatal ischemic heart disease, and nonfatal myocardial infarction in older adults: the cardiovaascular health study.
n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, fatal ischemic heart disease, and nonfatal myocardial infarction in older adults: the cardiovaascular health study.
Year: 2003
Authors: R Lemaitre, I King, D Mozaffarian, L Kuller, R Tracy, D Siscovick.
Publication Name: Am J Clin Nutr.
Publication Details: Volume 77; Page 319.
Abstract:
Dietary intakes of DHA and EPA, and ALA, may lower the risk of fatal ischemic heart disease in older adults. The concentrations of DHA and EPA in the diet and high concentrations of DHA and EPA in red blood cell membranes have been associated with a lower risk of primary cardiac arrest (out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to heart disease). Life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias are major contributors to fatal ischemic heart disease (IHD). On this basis, it is hypothesized that n-3 PUFAs would be associated with a lower risk of fatal IHD but not nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI). The well designed and frequently referenced, Cardiovascular Health Study investigated the associations of plasma phospholipid concentrations of DHA, EPA, and -linolenic acid as biomarkers of intake with the risk of incident fatal ischemic heart disease and incident nonfatal myocardial infarction in older adults. In this case-control study nested within the Cardiovascular Health Study, a cohort of adults aged 65 y who experienced incident fatal myocardial infarction and other ischemic heart disease death (n = 54) and incident nonfatal myocardial infarction (n = 125) (cases) was compared to matched controls (n = 179). Plasma phospholipid concentrations of n-3 PUFAs in blood samples were drawn 2 y before the event. The results indicated that higher plasma phospholipid concentrations of DHA and EPA were associated with a lower risk of incident fatal IHD, and ALA was associated with a tendency to lower risk. In contrast, higher concentrations of LA were not associated with a lower risk of fatal IHD. None of these PUFAs were associated with the risk of nonfatal MI. *These results suggest that in older adults, higher dietary intake late in life of DHA and EPA, found in fatty fish, and ALA, found in flax oil appear to be associated with a lower risk of fatal IHD. Association of the n-3 PUFAs with lower risk of fatal IHD, but not nonfatal MI, is consistent with possible antiarrhythmic properties of n-3 PUFAs.
