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The Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acid in Determining Nutritional Needs and Chronic Disease Risk

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 March 2024) | Viewed by 6149

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Division of Aging, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
2. Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02111, USA
3. Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
4. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Interests: fatty acids; heart failure; nutrition; alcohol consumption; cardiovascular epidemiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Observational studies have suggested that marine omega-3 fatty acids (including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)) and, to a lesser extent, plant-based omega-3 (i.e., alpha-linolenic acid, ALA) may have cardiometabolic benefits. However, findings from large randomized clinical trials have been inconsistent and the controversy surrounding the role of EPA/DHA supplements in cardiometabolic health remains an important and hot research topic, partly due to the reported atherogenic effects of mineral oil used as a placebo in the REDUCE-IT trial, which showed the largest effect size of icosapent ethyl supplementation (4g/d of EPA) on cardiovascular endpoints and stroke. It is important to underscore that so far, the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids (especially EPA and DHA) have been examined mostly for patients with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, and metabolic diseases. Emerging data have focused on the role of EPA and DHA in inflammatory cytokines, immunomodulation, and brain health. Our understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms and pathways by which EPA and DHA affect the risk of cardiometabolic diseases and other chronic conditions remains elusive and merits further investigation.

In this Special Issue of Nutrients, we would like to highlight research that investigates various mechanisms by which omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids influence human health across the lifespan of humans. Relevant work could include in vitro and in vivo mechanistic studies that assess the impacts of omega-3 fatty acids and their bioactive lipid-mediator derivatives in specific cell and organ systems, as well as observational studies and clinical trials that assess the role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in human health outcomes. We welcome various types of manuscript submissions, including original research articles, meta-analysis, and review articles.

Dr. Luc Djoussé
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • diet
  • omega-3 fatty acids
  • eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
  • docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
  • docosapentaenoic acid (DPA)
  • alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
  • cardiovascular diseases
  • immunomodulation
  • metabolic diseases
  • brain health
  • oxylipins
  • inflammatory cytokines

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3329 KiB  
Article
Impact of 1-Year Supplementation with High-Rich Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) on Clinical Variables and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial
by Roser Ayats-Vidal, Montserrat Bosque-García, Begoña Cordobilla, Oscar Asensio-De la Cruz, Miguel García-González, Susana Loureda-Pérez, Elena Fernández-López, Eva Robert-Barriocanal, Andrea Valiente-Planas and Joan Carles Domingo
Nutrients 2024, 16(7), 970; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16070970 - 27 Mar 2024
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Abstract
A randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study was conducted to assess the effect of dietary supplementation with high-rich docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (Tridocosahexanoin-AOX® 70%) at 50 mg/kg/day in pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) as compared with placebo. The duration of supplementation was 12 [...] Read more.
A randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study was conducted to assess the effect of dietary supplementation with high-rich docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (Tridocosahexanoin-AOX® 70%) at 50 mg/kg/day in pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) as compared with placebo. The duration of supplementation was 12 months. A total of 22 patients were included, with 11 in the DHA group and 11 in the placebo group. The mean age was 11.7 years. The outcome variables were pulmonary function, exacerbations, sputum cellularity, inflammatory biomarkers in sputum and peripheral blood, and anthropometric variables. In the DHA group, there was a significant increase in FVC (p = 0.004) and FVE1 expressed in liters (p = 0.044) as compared with placebo, and a lower median number of exacerbations (1 vs. 2). Differences in sputum cellularity (predominantly neutrophilic), neutrophilic elastase, and sputum and serum concentrations of resolvin D1 (RvD1), interleukin (IL)-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) between the study groups were not found. Significant increases in weight and height were also observed among DHA-supplemented patients. The administration of the study product was safe and well tolerated. In summary, the use of a highly concentrated DHA supplement for 1 year as compared with placebo improved pulmonary function and reduced exacerbations in pediatric CF. Full article
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10 pages, 294 KiB  
Article
Plasma Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Risk for Incident Dementia in the UK Biobank Study: A Closer Look
by Aleix Sala-Vila, Nathan Tintle, Jason Westra and William S. Harris
Nutrients 2023, 15(23), 4896; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15234896 - 23 Nov 2023
Viewed by 3084
Abstract
Dietary omega-3 fatty acids are promising nutrients in dementia. Several prospective cohort studies have examined the relationships between circulating omega-3 (an objective biomarker of dietary intake) and incident dementia, the largest to date being a report from the UK Biobank (n = 102,722). [...] Read more.
Dietary omega-3 fatty acids are promising nutrients in dementia. Several prospective cohort studies have examined the relationships between circulating omega-3 (an objective biomarker of dietary intake) and incident dementia, the largest to date being a report from the UK Biobank (n = 102,722). Given the recent release of new metabolomics data from baseline samples from the UK Biobank, we re-examined the association in a much larger sample (n = 267,312) and also focused on associations with total omega-3, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and non-DHA omega-3. Using Cox regression models, we observed that the total omega-3 status was inversely related to the risk of Alzheimer’s (Q5 vs. Q1, hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] = 0.87 [0.76; 1.00]) and all-cause dementia (Q5 vs. Q1, 0.79 [0.72; 0.87]). The strongest associations were observed for total omega-3 (and non-DHA omega-3) and all-cause dementia. In prespecified strata, we found stronger associations in men, and in those aged ≥60 years at baseline (vs. those aged 50–59). Thus, in the largest study to date on this topic, we confirmed the favorable relationships between DHA and risk for dementia, and we also found evidence that non-DHA omega-3 may be beneficial. Finally, we have better defined the populations most likely to benefit from omega-3-based interventions. Full article
12 pages, 1816 KiB  
Article
Marine n−3 Fatty Acids and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Novel Analysis of the VITAL Trial Using Win Ratio and Hierarchical Composite Outcomes
by Soshiro Ogata, JoAnn E. Manson, Jae H. Kang, Julie E. Buring, I-Min Lee, Kunihiro Nishimura, Yasuhiko Sakata, Jacqueline Suk Danik, Denise D’Agostino, Samia Mora, Christine M. Albert and Nancy R. Cook
Nutrients 2023, 15(19), 4235; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15194235 - 30 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1606
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate whether n−3 fatty acid supplementation reduced cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in a novel analysis using hierarchical composite CVD outcomes based on win ratio in the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL). This was a secondary analysis of our [...] Read more.
This study aimed to investigate whether n−3 fatty acid supplementation reduced cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in a novel analysis using hierarchical composite CVD outcomes based on win ratio in the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL). This was a secondary analysis of our VITAL randomized trial, which assessed the effects of marine n−3 fatty acids (1 g/day) and vitamin D3 on incident CVD and cancer among healthy older adults (n = 25,871). The primary analysis estimated win ratios of a composite of major CVD outcomes prioritized as fatal coronary heart disease, other fatal CVD including stroke, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), and non-fatal stroke, comparing n−3 fatty acids to placebo. The primary result was a nonsignificant benefit of this supplementation for the prioritized primary CVD outcome (reciprocal win ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.90 [0.78–1.04]), similar to the 0.92 (0.80–1.06) hazard ratio in our original time-to-first event analysis without outcome prioritization. Its benefits came from reducing MI (0.71 [0.57–0.88]) but not stroke (1.01 [0.80 to 1.28]) components. For the primary CVD outcome, participants with low fish consumption at baseline benefited (0.79 [0.65–0.96]) more than those with high consumption (1.05 [0.85–1.30]). These results are consistent with, but slightly stronger than, those without outcome prioritization. Full article
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