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α-Linolenic acid, linoleic acid and heart failure in women

Emily B Levitan1, Alicja Wolk, Niclas Håkansson

  • 1Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, RPHB 230K, 1530 3rd Avenue S, Birmingham, AL 35294-0022, USA. elevitan@uab.edu

The British Journal of Nutrition
|December 17, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Higher intake of alpha-Linolenic acid (18:3n-3) and linoleic acid (18:2n-6) did not significantly lower heart failure risk in Swedish women. This study found no evidence supporting a link between these fatty acids and reduced heart failure hospitalisation or mortality.

Area of Science:

  • Nutritional Epidemiology
  • Cardiovascular Disease Research

Background:

  • α-Linolenic acid (18:3n-3) and linoleic acid (18:2n-6) are linked to reduced coronary heart disease (CHD), but their association with incident heart failure (HF) is unclear.
  • Previous research on these fatty acids and cardiovascular outcomes has yielded inconsistent findings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the hypothesis that higher intakes of 18:3n-3 and 18:2n-6 are associated with lower rates of HF hospitalization and mortality in women.
  • To examine the relationship between dietary intake of specific fatty acids and incident heart failure.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort study involving 36,234 Swedish women aged 48-83 years.
  • Dietary intake of 18:3n-3 and 18:2n-6 was assessed using food frequency questionnaires (FFQ).
  • Participants were followed for HF hospitalization and mortality from 1998 to 2006 using national registers; Cox proportional hazards models were employed.

Main Results:

  • No significant association was found between higher quintiles of 18:3n-3 intake and HF risk (RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.71, 1.17).
  • Similarly, higher quintiles of 18:2n-6 intake did not show a significant association with HF risk (RR 1.14; 95% CI 0.88, 1.46).
  • No evidence of interaction was observed between 18:3n-3, 18:2n-6, and long-chain n-3 fatty acids regarding HF risk.

Conclusions:

  • The study does not support the hypothesis that higher dietary intake of 18:3n-3 and 18:2n-6 protects against heart failure in this cohort of Swedish women.
  • Findings may not be generalizable to populations with substantially higher intakes of 18:3n-3.

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