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Previous Volume 331:228-233 July 28, 1994 Number 4 Next

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ABSTRACT

Background Fish contain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, principally eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, which are known to interfere with the body's inflammatory response and may be of benefit in chronic inflammatory conditions.

Methods We studied the relation between the dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 8960 current or former smokers participating in a population-based study of atherosclerosis. Intake of fatty acids was estimated with a dietary questionnaire. The presence of COPD was assessed by a questionnaire on respiratory symptoms and by spirometry. Three case definitions of COPD were used: symptoms of chronic bronchitis (667 subjects), physician-diagnosed emphysema reported by the subject (185 subjects), and spirometrically detected COPD (197 subjects).

Results After control for pack-years of smoking, age, sex, race, height, weight, energy intake, and educational level, the combined intake of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid was inversely related to the risk of COPD in a quantity-dependent fashion. The adjusted odds ratio for the highest quartile of intake as compared with the lowest quartile was 0.66 for chronic bronchitis (95 percent confidence interval, 0.52 to 0.85; P<0.001 for linear trend across the range of intake values), 0.31 for physician-diagnosed emphysema (95 percent confidence interval, 0.18 to 0.52; P for linear trend, 0.003), and 0.50 for spirometrically detected COPD (95 percent confidence interval, 0.32 to 0.79; P for linear trend, 0.007).

Conclusions A high dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids may protect cigarette smokers against COPD.

Source Information

From the Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (E.S., A.R.F., S.L.M.); the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore (M.S.T., G.W.C., M.S.); the Environmental Epidemiology Service, Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy (V.G.); the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Md. (M.W.H., P.D.S.); and the Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (W.-J.K.). Presented in part at a meeting of the Society for Epidemiologic Research, Minneapolis, June 10-12, 1992.

Address reprint requests to Dr. Shahar at the Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 S. Second St., Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454-1015.

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