Dietary and serum omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and PCOS: A matched case-control study

The results of epidemiological studies involving omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are scarce. This matched case-control study assessed the associations between omega-3 PUFAs and PCOS prevalence in 325 pairs of PCOS cases and healthy controls. Dietary information was assessed using a 102-item food frequency questionnaire. Fatty acids in serum phospholipids were measured with a gas chromatography method. We found that omega-3 PUFAs in serum phospholipids were inversely associated with PCOS prevalence, including total, long-chain and individual PUFAs (e.g., docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)). Compared to the lowest tertile (T1), the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the highest tertile (T3) were 0.63 (0.40, 0.93) for total omega-3 PUFAs, 0.60 (0.38, 0.92) for long-chain omega-3 PUFAs, 0.68 (0.45, 1.01) for DHA, 0.70 (0.45, 1.05) for EPA and 0.72 (0.45, 1.08) for DPA. For dietary intake of omega-3 PUFAs, significant inverse associations were found only for long-chain omega-3 PUFAs (p trend = 0.001), EPA (p trend = 0.047) and DHA (p trend = 0.030). Both dietary and serum omega-3 PUFAs, mainly EPA and DPA, were negatively correlated with PCOS-related parameters, such as BMI, fasting insulin, total testosterone and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), but positively correlated with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). These results indicated inverse associations between omega-3 PUFAs, especially long-chain omega-3 PUFAs, and PCOS prevalence. Higher intakes of omega-3 PUFAs might be considered a protective factor for PCOS among Chinese females.

Eicosapentaenoic Acid Is Associated with Decreased Incidence of Alzheimer’s Dementia in the Oldest Old

Background. Omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may have different effects on cognitive health due to their anti- or pro-inflammatory properties. Methods. We aimed to prospectively examine the relationships between n-3 and n-6 PUFA contents in serum phospholipids with incident all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease dementia (AD). We included 1264 non-demented participants aged 84 ± 3 years from the German Study on Ageing, Cognition, and Dementia in Primary Care Patients (AgeCoDe) multicenter-cohort study. We investigated whether fatty acid concentrations in serum phospholipids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), linoleic acid (LA), dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA), and arachidonic acid (AA), were associated with risk of incident all-cause dementia and AD. Results. During the follow-up window of seven years, 233 participants developed dementia. Higher concentrations of EPA were associated with a lower incidence of AD (hazard ratio (HR) 0.76 (95% CI 0.63; 0.93)). We also observed that higher concentrations of EPA were associated with a decreased risk for all-cause dementia (HR 0.76 (95% CI 0.61; 0.94)) and AD (HR 0.66 (95% CI 0.51; 0.85)) among apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE ε4) non-carriers but not among APOE ε4 carriers. No other fatty acids were significantly associated with AD or dementia. Conclusions. Higher concentrations of EPA were associated with a lower risk of incident AD. This further supports a beneficial role of n-3 PUFAs for cognitive health in old age.

Serum Phospholipids Fatty Acids and Breast Cancer Risk by Pathological Subtype

This study evaluates whether serum phospholipids fatty acids (PL-FAs) and markers of their endogenous metabolism are associated with breast cancer (BC) subtypes. EpiGEICAM is a Spanish multicenter matched case-control study. A lifestyle and food frequency questionnaire was completed by 1017 BC cases and healthy women pairs. Serum PL-FA percentages were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Conditional and multinomial logistic regression models were used to quantify the association of PL-FA tertiles with BC risk, overall and by pathological subtype (luminal, HER2+ and triple negative). Stratified analyses by body mass index and menopausal status were also performed. Serum PL-FAs were measured in 795 (78%) pairs. Women with high serum levels of stearic acid (odds ratio (OR)T3vsT1 = 0.44; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.30–0.66), linoleic acid (ORT3vsT1 = 0.66; 95% CI = 0.49–0.90) and arachidonic to dihomo-γ-linolenic acid ratio (OR T3vsT1 = 0.64; 95% CI = 0.48–0.84) presented lower BC risk. Participants with high concentrations of palmitoleic acid (ORT3vsT1 = 1.65; 95% CI = 1.20–2.26), trans-ruminant palmitelaidic acid (ORT3vsT1 = 1.51; 95% CI = 1.12–2.02), trans-industrial elaidic acid (ORT3vsT1 = 1.52; 95% CI = 1.14–2.03), and high oleic to stearic acid ratio (ORT3vsT1 = 2.04; 95% CI = 1.45–2.87) showed higher risk. These associations were similar in all BC pathological subtypes. Our results emphasize the importance of analyzing fatty acids individually, as well as the desaturase activity indices.

Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances modulates neonatal serum phospholipids, increasing risk of type 1 diabetes

In the last decade, increasing incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) stabilized in Finland, a phenomenon that coincides with tighter regulation of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Here, we quantified PFAS to examine their effects, during pregnancy, on lipid and immune-related markers of T1D risk in children. In a mother-infant cohort (264 dyads), high PFAS exposure during pregnancy associated with decreased cord serum phospholipids and progression to T1D-associated islet autoantibodies in the offspring. This PFAS-lipid association appears exacerbated by increased human leukocyte antigen-conferred risk of T1D in infants. Exposure to a single PFAS compound or a mixture of organic pollutants in non-obese diabetic mice resulted in a lipid profile characterized by a similar decrease in phospholipids, a marked increase of lithocholic acid, and accelerated insulitis. Our findings suggest that PFAS exposure during pregnancy contributes to risk and pathogenesis of T1D in offspring.