Omega-3 Fatty Acids Associated with Lower Mortality
Omega-3 fatty acids impact the risk of mortality in older adults, according to a study published in April 2013. The average life expectancy in the Unites States is currently 78.7 years.
The investigators evaluated 2,692 U.S. adults 69-79 years of age without coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke or heart failure at the beginning of the study. The researchers measured phospholipid fatty acid levels including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and assessed cardiovascular risk factors at the beginning of the study. The investigators followed the subjects for 16 years to assess for mortality and/or the development of CHD and stroke.
The researchers determined during the follow-up period 1,625 deaths occurred including 570 cardiovascular deaths, 259 fatal CHD events and 371 non-fatal CHD events, and 130 fatal and 276 non-fatal strokes. The investigators found that higher plasma levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) biomarkers were associated with lower total mortality.
Compared to the subjects with the lowest levels, the subjects with the highest EPA levels had a 17 percent decreased risk of mortality, the subjects with the highest DPA levels had a 23 percent decreased risk, the subjects with the highest DHA levels had a 20 percent decreased risk, and the subjects with the highest total omega-3 fatty acids had a 27 percent decreased risk of mortality. The investigators also showed that lower mortality risk was attributed to fewer cardiovascular deaths specifically. Interestingly, the investigators determined that the subjects with the highest omega-3 fatty acid levels lived an average of 2.22 more years after the age of 65 compared to the subjects with the lowest levels.
The researchers stated, “Higher circulating individual and total omega-3 PUFA levels are associated with lower total mortality, especially CHD death, in older adults.”
Reference:
Mozaffarian D, et al. Ann Intern Med. 2013;7:515-25.
