Older patients with higher blood levels of individual and total omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3-PUFAs) have lower mortality than their peers, especially coronary heart disease-related death.
Observational studies have shown a benefit from dietary ω3-PUFA levels, but most of those studies relied on self-reported dietary intake and/or looked at cardiovascular risk factors rather than clinical outcomes such as mortality. Researchers studied 2,692 U.S. adults aged 69 – 79 to determine the association between plasma individual and total ω3-PUFA levels on total and cause-specific mortality among healthy adults not receiving fish oil supplements. Phospholipid fatty acid levels and cardiovascular risk factors were measured in 1992.
In 2008, plasma individual and total ω3-PUFA levels were assessed against total and cause-specific mortality and incident total (fatal plus nonfatal) CHD and stroke.
The researchers found that patients with higher baseline levels of individual and total ω3-PUFAs had decreased total mortality, primarily due to fewer cardiovascular events. DOI:10.7326/0003-4819-158-7-201304020-00003.