Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Jan;97(1):173-8.
Intakes of long-chain omega-3 (n-3) PUFAs and fish in relation to incidence of asthma among American young adults: the CARDIA study.
Li J, Xun P, Zamora D, Sood A, Liu K, Daviglus M, Iribarren C, Jacobs D Jr, Shikany JM, He K.
Source
Departments of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Although long-chain ?-3 (n-3) PUFAs (LC?3PUFAs) have been linked to the
prevention of some inflammatory disorders, little is known about the association
between these fatty acids and incidence of asthma.
OBJECTIVE:
The objective was to prospectively investigate the association between LC?3PUFAs
and fish intake and incidence of asthma among American young adults.
DESIGN:
A 20-y follow-up longitudinal analysis was conducted in a biracial cohort of
4162 Americans, aged 18-30 y, with a history of asthma at baseline in 1985. Diet
was assessed by a validated interviewer-administered quantitative food-frequency
questionnaire at the examinations in 1985, 1992, and 2005. Incident
self-reported asthma was defined as having a physician diagnosis of asthma
and/or the use of asthma medications between 1985 and 2005.
RESULTS:
During the 20-y follow-up, 446 incident cases of asthma were identified.
LC?3PUFA intake was significantly inversely associated with incidence of asthma
after adjustment for sociodemographic, major lifestyle, and dietary confounders.
The multivariable-adjusted HR for the highest quintile of LC?3PUFA intake as
compared with the lowest quintile was 0.46 (95% CI: 0.33, 0.64; P-trend < 0.01).
However, a higher frequency of nonfried fish consumption was not significantly
associated with the risk of asthma. DHA showed a greater inverse association
than did EPA. The association between LC?3PUFAs and incident asthma was not
appreciably modified by sex, race, BMI, smoking status, or atopic status.
CONCLUSION:
This study showed that intakes of LC?3PUFAs are inversely longitudinally
associated with the incidence of asthma in American young adults.
PMID: 23193002 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]