Kazumasa Yamagishi1, Ai Ikeda2, Choy-Lye Chei3, Hiroyuki Noda4, Mitsumasa Umesawa5, Renzhe Cui4, Isao Muraki6, Tetsuya Ohira7, Hironori Imano4, Tomoko Sankai8, Takeo Okada6, Takeshi Tanigawa2, Akihiko Kitamura9, Masahiko Kiyama6, Hiroyasu Iso4. 1. Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan; Osaka Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Osaka, Japan. Electronic address: yamagishi.kazumas.ge@u.tsukuba.ac.jp. 2. Department of Public Health, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan. 3. Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan; Health Services and Systems Research, Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, Singapore, Singapore. 4. Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan. 5. Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan; Department of Public Health, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Japan. 6. Osaka Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Osaka, Japan. 7. Department of Epidemiology, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan. 8. Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan. 9. Osaka Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Osaka, Japan; Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan; Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS: It has been hypothesized that ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have anti-atherosclerotic and neuronal protective functions and may benefit prevention of dementia, but the epidemiological evidence, especially for α-linolenic acid, is quite limited. The aim of this study was to examine whether serum ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are associated with risk of dementia. METHODS: We performed an intracohort case-control study nested in a community-based cohort, the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study, involving 7586 Japanese individuals aged 40-74 years at the baseline period of 1984-1994. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid constituents (α-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acids) in serum total lipid were measured in 315 cases of incident disabling dementia in the above-mentioned cohort between 1999 and 2004, and in 630 controls whose age, sex, area, and baseline year were matched with the cases. RESULTS: As we had postulated, serum α-linolenic acid was inversely associated with risk of disabling dementia: the multivariate odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 0.57 (0.39-0.85), 0.51 (0.34-0.76), and 0.61 (0.41-0.90) for persons with the second, third, and highest quartiles of serum α-linolenic acid, respectively, as compared with the lowest quartile (P for trend = 0.01). Associations of other ω-3 fatty acids with disabling dementia were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Serum α-linolenic acid was inversely associated with risk of disabling dementia. Although the causality needs to be confirmed by randomized control trials, we identified serum α-linolenic acid as a biomarker that predicts future dementia.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: It has been hypothesized that ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have anti-atherosclerotic and neuronal protective functions and may benefit prevention of dementia, but the epidemiological evidence, especially for α-linolenic acid, is quite limited. The aim of this study was to examine whether serum ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are associated with risk of dementia. METHODS: We performed an intracohort case-control study nested in a community-based cohort, the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study, involving 7586 Japanese individuals aged 40-74 years at the baseline period of 1984-1994. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid constituents (α-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acids) in serum total lipid were measured in 315 cases of incident disabling dementia in the above-mentioned cohort between 1999 and 2004, and in 630 controls whose age, sex, area, and baseline year were matched with the cases. RESULTS: As we had postulated, serum α-linolenic acid was inversely associated with risk of disabling dementia: the multivariate odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 0.57 (0.39-0.85), 0.51 (0.34-0.76), and 0.61 (0.41-0.90) for persons with the second, third, and highest quartiles of serum α-linolenic acid, respectively, as compared with the lowest quartile (P for trend = 0.01). Associations of other ω-3 fatty acids with disabling dementia were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Serum α-linolenic acid was inversely associated with risk of disabling dementia. Although the causality needs to be confirmed by randomized control trials, we identified serum α-linolenic acid as a biomarker that predicts future dementia.
Authors: Ayano C Kohlgruber; Carlos A Donado; Nelson M LaMarche; Michael B Brenner; Patrick J Brennan Journal: Immunogenetics Date: 2016-07-25 Impact factor: 2.846