Plasma polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations and sleep apnea risk: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Epidemiology
• Genetics
• Sleep Medicine

Background:

• Observational studies suggest a link between lower polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and increased sleep apnea (SA) risk.
• The causal relationship between PUFAs and SA remains uncertain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the causal association between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and the risk of sleep apnea (SA).
• To utilize Mendelian randomization to assess causality, overcoming limitations of observational studies.

Main Methods:

• A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study design was employed.
• Instrumental variables (IVs) for PUFAs were derived from large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) (CHARGE Consortium, n ≈ 8,000).
• Summary statistics for SA were obtained from a large GWAS meta-analysis (n = 523,366).

Main Results:

• No statistically significant causal association was found between omega-3 fatty acids (ALA, EPA, DPA, DHA) and SA risk.
• No significant causal association was observed for omega-6 fatty acids (LA, AA, AdrA) with SA risk.
• Results were consistent across different MR analyses, including inverse-variance weighted (IVW) and single-locus methods.

Conclusions:

• This study provides no genetic evidence supporting a causal role for omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs in the risk of sleep apnea (SA).
• The findings challenge the hypothesis that dietary intake or supplementation of PUFAs can mitigate SA risk.
• Further research may be needed to explore other potential dietary or lifestyle factors influencing SA.