Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Aug;205(2):538-43.
doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2008.12.013. Epub 2008 Dec 14.

Inverse association of erythrocyte n-3 fatty acid levels with inflammatory biomarkers in patients with stable coronary artery disease: The Heart and Soul Study

Ramin Farzaneh-Far  1 , William S Harris, Sachin Garg, Beeya Na, Mary A Whooley
Affiliations

Inverse association of erythrocyte n-3 fatty acid levels with inflammatory biomarkers in patients with stable coronary artery disease: The Heart and Soul Study

Ramin Farzaneh-Far et al. Atherosclerosis. 2009 Aug.

Abstract

Objective: Dietary intake of polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids has been associated with a reduced incidence of adverse cardiovascular events. The protective mechanisms involved are not fully understood, but may include anti-inflammatory factors. We sought to investigate the relationship between n-3 fatty acid levels in erythrocyte membranes and markers of systemic inflammation in 992 individuals with stable coronary artery disease.

Methods: Cross-sectional associations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and Interleukin-6 (Il-6) with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EHA) were evaluated in multivariable linear regression models adjusted for demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, medication use, exercise capacity, body-mass index, and waist-to-hip ratio.

Results: After multivariable adjustment, n-3 fatty acid levels (DHA+EPA) were inversely associated with CRP and IL-6. The inverse association of n-3 fatty acids with CRP and IL-6 was not modified by demographics, body-mass index, smoking, LDL-cholesterol, or statin use (p values for interaction>0.1).

Conclusions: In patients with stable coronary artery disease, an independent and inverse association exists between n-3 fatty acid levels and inflammatory biomarkers. These findings suggest that inhibition of systemic inflammation may be a mechanism by which n-3 fatty acids prevent recurrent cardiovascular events.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Scatter Plot of log-CRP (y-axis) against erythrocyte n-3 fatty acid levels (DHA+EPA in %; x-axis)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scatter Plot of log-IL-6 (y-axis) against erythrocyte n-3 fatty acid levels (DHA+EPA in %; x-axis)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Breslow JL. N-3 Fatty acids and cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;83(S):1477S–1482S. - PubMed
    1. Lee JH, O’Keefe JH, Lavie CJ, Marchioli R, Harris WS. Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Cardioprotection. Mayo Clin Proc. 2008;83(3):324–332. - PubMed
    1. Harris WS, Poston WC, Haddock CK. Tissue n-3 and n-6 fatty acids and risk for coronary heart disease events. Atherosclerosis. 2007;193(1):1–10. - PubMed
    1. Albert CM, Campos H, Stampfer MJ, Ridker PM, Manson JE, Willett WC, Ma J. Blood levels of long chain n-3 fatty acids and the risk of sudden death. N Engl J Med. 2002;346:1113–1118. - PubMed
    1. Harris WS, Miller M, Tighe AP, Davidson MH, Schaefer EJ. Omega-3 fatty acids and coronary heart disease risk: clinical and mechanistic perspectives. Atherosclerosis. 2008;197(1):12–24. - PubMed

Publication types