α-Linolenic acid and risk of cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Volumn 96, Issue 6, 2012, Pages 1262-1273

  Pan, An ^a,d   Chen, Mu ^a   Chowdhury, Rajiv ^e   Wu, Jason H Y ^a,f   Sun, Qi ^a,b   Campos, Hannia ^a   Mozaffarian, Dariush ^a,b,c   Hu, Frank B ^a,b  

^a HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH   (United States)

^b HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL   (United States)

^c BRIGHAM AND WOMEN S HOSPITAL   (United States)

^d NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE   (Singapore)

^e UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE   (United Kingdom)

^f UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA   (Australia)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

BIOLOGICAL MARKER; LINOLENIC ACID;

ADIPOSE TISSUE; ARTICLE; CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE; CARDIOVASCULAR RISK; CEREBROVASCULAR ACCIDENT; COMORBIDITY; DEMOGRAPHY; DIETARY INTAKE; DISEASE ASSOCIATION; FOLLOW UP; HEART ARREST; HEART INFARCTION; HUMAN; ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE; LIFESTYLE; META ANALYSIS; PROSPECTIVE STUDY; RETROSPECTIVE STUDY; SELF REPORT; SYSTEMATIC REVIEW;

ALPHA-LINOLENIC ACID; BIOLOGICAL MARKERS; CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES; DIET; HUMANS; REPRODUCIBILITY OF RESULTS; RISK;

EID: 84869768090     PISSN: 00029165     EISSN: 19383207     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.112.044040     Document Type: Article

References (60)

1. Mozaffarian D, Wu JH. Omega-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease: effects on risk factors, molecular pathways, and clinical events. J Am Coll Cardiol 2011;58:2047-67.
2. Brouwer IA, Katan MB, Zock PL. Dietary alpha-linolenic acid is associated with reduced risk of fatal coronary heart disease, but increased prostate cancer risk: a meta-analysis. J Nutr 2004;134:919-22. (Pubitemid 38456264)
3. Wang C, Harris WS, Chung M, Lichtenstein AH, Balk EM, Kupelnick B, Jordan HS, Lau J. N-3 fatty acids from fish or fish-oil supplements, but not alpha-linolenic acid, benefit cardiovascular disease outcomes in primary- and secondary-prevention studies: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;84:5-17. (Pubitemid 44699166)
4. Geleijnse JM, de Goede J, Brouwer IA. Alpha-linolenic acid: is it essential to cardiovascular health? Curr Atheroscler Rep 2010;12:359-67.
5. Burdge GC, Calder PC. Conversion of alpha-linolenic acid to longer-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human adults. Reprod Nutr Dev 2005;45:581-97. (Pubitemid 41511883)
6. Arterburn LM, Hall EB, Oken H. Distribution, interconversion, and dose response of n-3 fatty acids in humans. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;83:1467S-76S. (Pubitemid 44713087)
7. Hodson L, Skeaff CM, Fielding BA. Fatty acid composition of adipose tissue and blood in humans and its use as a biomarker of dietary intake. Prog Lipid Res 2008;47:348-80.
8. Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, The PRISMA Group. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement. PLoS Med 2009;6:e1000097.
9. Wells GA, Shea B, O'Connell D, Peterson J, Welch V, Losos M, Tugwell P. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for assessing the quality if nonrandomized studies in meta-analyses. Available from: http://www.ohri.ca/programs/clinical- epidemiology/oxford.asp (cited 1 March 2012).
10. Chêne G, Thompson SG. Methods for summarizing the risk associations of quantitative variables in epidemiologic studies in a consistent form. Am J Epidemiol 1996;144:610-21. (Pubitemid 26304406)
11. Danesh J, Collins R, Appleby P, Peto R. Association of fibrinogen, Creactive protein, albumin, or leukocyte count with coronary heart disease: meta-analyses of prospective studies. JAMA 1998;279:1477-82. (Pubitemid 28228207)
12. Orsini N, Bellocco R, Greenland S. Generalized least squares for trend estimation of summarized dose-response data. Stata Journal 2006;6:40-57. (Pubitemid 43708443)
13. Dolecek TA. Epidemiological evidence of relationships between dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and mortality in the multiple risk factor intervention trial. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 1992;200:177-82.
14. Ascherio A, Rimm EB, Giovannucci EL, Spiegelman D, Stampfer M, Willett WC. Dietary fat and risk of coronary heart disease in men: cohort follow up study in the united states. BMJ 1996;313:84-90. (Pubitemid 26257758)
15. Pietinen P, Ascherio A, Korhonen P, Hartman AM, Willett WC, Albanes D, Virtamo J. Intake of fatty acids and risk of coronary heart disease in a cohort of finnish men. The alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene cancer prevention study. Am J Epidemiol 1997;145:876-87. (Pubitemid 27200774)
16. Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, Rimm EB, Wolk A, Colditz GA, Hennekens CH, Willett WC. Dietary intake of alpha-linolenic acid and risk of fatal ischemic heart disease among women. Am J Clin Nutr 1999;69:890-7. (Pubitemid 29205061)
17. Oomen CM, Ocke MC, Feskens EJ, Kok FJ, Kromhout D. Alpha-linolenic acid intake is not beneficially associated with 10-y risk of coronary artery disease incidence: the Zutphen Elderly Study. Am J Clin Nutr 2001;74:457-63. (Pubitemid 32880255)
18. He K, Rimm EB, Merchant A, Rosner BA, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, Ascherio A. Fish consumption and risk of stroke in men. JAMA 2002;288:3130-6. (Pubitemid 36014130)
19. Albert CM, Oh K, Whang W, Manson JE, Chae CU, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, Hu FB. Dietary alpha-linolenic acid intake and risk of sudden cardiac death and coronary heart disease. Circulation 2005;112:3232-8. (Pubitemid 43739367)
20. de Goede J, Verschuren WM, Boer JM, Kromhout D, Geleijnse JM. Alpha-linolenic acid intake and 10-year incidence of coronary heart disease and stroke in 20000 middle-aged men and women in the netherlands. PLoS ONE 2011;6:e17967.
21. Vedtofte MS, Jakobsen MU, Lauritzen L, Heitmann BL. Dietary alpha-linolenic acid, linoleic acid, and n-3 long-chain PUFA and risk of ischemic heart disease. Am J Clin Nutr 2011;94:1097-103.
22. Larsson SC, Virtamo J, Wolk A. Dietary fats and dietary cholesterol and risk of stroke in women. Atherosclerosis 2012;221:282-6.
23. Simon JA, Hodgkins ML, Browner WS, Neuhaus JM, Bernert JT Jr, Hulley SB. Serum fatty acids and the risk of coronary heart disease. Am J Epidemiol 1995;142:469-76.
24. Simon JA, Fong J, Bernert JT Jr, Browner WS. Serum fatty acids and the risk of stroke. Stroke 1995;26:778-82.
25. Tornwall ME, Salminen I, Aro A, Pietinen P, Haukka J, Albanes D, Virtamo J. Effect of serum and dietary fatty acids on the short-term risk of acute myocardial infarction in male smokers. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 1996;6:73-80. (Pubitemid 126502714)
26. Guallar E, Aro A, Jimenez FJ, Martin-Moreno JM, Salminen I, van't Veer P, Kardinaal AF, Gomez-Aracena J, Martin BC, Kohlmeier L, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids in adipose tissue and risk of myocardial infarction: the EURAMIC study. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 1999;19:1111-8. (Pubitemid 29177363)
27. Pedersen JI, Ringstad J, Almendingen K, Haugen TS, Stensvold I, Thelle DS. Adipose tissue fatty acids and risk of myocardial infarction: a case-control study. Eur J Clin Nutr 2000;54:618-25. (Pubitemid 30618023)
28. Erkkilä AT, Lehto S, Pyorala K, Uusitupa MI. n-3 fatty acids and 5-y risks of death and cardiovascular disease events in patients with coronary artery disease. Am J Clin Nutr 2003;78:65-71. (Pubitemid 39655249)
29. Kark JD, Kaufmann NA, Binka F, Goldberger N, Berry EM. Adipose tissue n-6 fatty acids and acute myocardial infarction in a population consuming a diet high in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Am J Clin Nutr 2003;77:796-802.
30. Lemaitre RN, King IB, Mozaffarian D, Kuller LH, Tracy RP, Siscovick DS. N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, fatal ischemic heart disease, and nonfatal myocardial infarction in older adults: the Cardiovascular Health Study. Am J Clin Nutr 2003;77:319-25. (Pubitemid 36133372)
31. Wang L, Folsom AR, Eckfeldt JH. Plasma fatty acid composition and incidence of coronary heart disease in middle aged adults: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2003;13:256-66. (Pubitemid 38622729)
32. Wiberg B, Sundstrom J, Arnlov J, Terent A, Vessby B, Zethelius B, Lind L. Metabolic risk factors for stroke and transient ischemic attacks in middle-aged men: a community-based study with long-term follow-up. Stroke 2006;37:2898-903. (Pubitemid 44900808)
33. Warensjö E, Sundstrom J, Vessby B, Cederholm T, Riserus U. Markers of dietary fat quality and fatty acid desaturation as predictors of total and cardiovascular mortality: a population-based prospective study. Am J Clin Nutr 2008;88:203-9. (Pubitemid 351988700)
34. Lemaitre RN, Lemaitre RN, King IB, Sotoodehnia N, Rea TD, Raghunathan TE, Rice KM, Lumley TS, Knopp RH, Cobb LA, et al. Red blood cell membrane alpha-linolenic acid and the risk of sudden cardiac arrest. Metabolism 2009;58:534-40.
35. Shearer GC, Pottala JV, Spertus JA, Harris WS. Red blood cell fatty acid patterns and acute coronary syndrome. PLoS ONE 2009;4:e5444.
36. Khaw KT, Friesen MD, Riboli E, Luben R, Wareham N. Plasma phospholipid fatty acid concentration and incident coronary heart disease in men and women: the EPIC-Norfolk Prospective Study. PLoS Med 2012;9:e1001255.
37. Laaksonen DE, Nyyssonen K, Niskanen L, Rissanen TH, Salonen JT. Prediction of cardiovascular mortality in middle-aged men by dietary and serum linoleic and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Arch Intern Med 2005;165:193-9.
38. Lopes C, Aro A, Azevedo A, Ramos E, Barros H. Intake and adipose tissue composition of fatty acids and risk of myocardial infarction in a male portuguese community sample. J Am Diet Assoc 2007;107:276-86. (Pubitemid 46136124)
39. Campos H, Baylin A, Willett WC. Alpha-linolenic acid and risk of nonfatal acute myocardial infarction. Circulation 2008;118:339-45.
40. Kark JD, Manor O, Goldman S, Berry EM. Stability of red blood cell membrane fatty acid composition after acute myocardial infarction. J Clin Epidemiol 1995;48:889-95.
41. Mozaffarian D, Rimm EB. Fish intake, contaminants, and human health: evaluating the risks and the benefits. JAMA 2006;296:1885-99. (Pubitemid 44596197)
42. Mente A, de Koning L, Shannon HS, Anand SS. A systematic review of the evidence supporting a causal link between dietary factors and coronary heart disease. Arch Intern Med 2009;169:659-69.
43. Welch AA, Shakya-Shrestha S, Lentjes MA, Wareham NJ, Khaw K-T. Dietary intake and status of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in a population of fish-eating and non-fish-eating meat-eaters, vegetarians, and vegans and the precursor-product ratio of α-linolenic acid to long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids: results from the EPIC-Norfolk cohort. Am J Clin Nutr 2010;92:1040-51.
44. Schuurman AG, van den Brandt PA, Dorant E, Brants HA, Goldbohm RA. Association of energy and fat intake with prostate carcinoma risk: results from the Netherlands Cohort Study. Cancer 1999;86:1019-27. (Pubitemid 29439857)
45. Giovannucci E, Rimm EB, Colditz GA, Stampfer MJ, Ascherio A, Chute CC, Willett WC. A prospective study of dietary fat and risk of prostate cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 1993;85:1571-9. (Pubitemid 23304685)
46. De Stéfani E, Deneo-Pellegrini H, Boffetta P, Ronco A, Mendilaharsu M. Alpha-linolenic acid and risk of prostate cancer: a case-control study in uruguay. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2000;9:335-8. (Pubitemid 30165448)
47. Burdge G. Alpha-linolenic acid metabolism in men and women: nutritional and biological implications. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care 2004;7:137-44. (Pubitemid 40340675)
48. Decsi T, Kennedy K. Sex-specific differences in essential fatty acid metabolism. Am J Clin Nutr 2011;94:1914S-9S.
49. Harris WS. Cardiovascular risk and a-linolenic acid. Circulation 2008;118:323-4.
50. Goyens PL, Mensink RP. Effects of alpha-linolenic acid versus those of EPA/DHA on cardiovascular risk markers in healthy elderly subjects. Eur J Clin Nutr 2006;60:978-84. (Pubitemid 44161019)
51. McLennan PL, Dallimore JA. Dietary canola oil modifies myocardial fatty acids and inhibits cardiac arrhythmias in rats. J Nutr 1995;125:1003-9.
52. Billman GE, Kang JX, Leaf A. Prevention of sudden cardiac death by dietary pure ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in dogs. Circulation 1999;99:2452-7. (Pubitemid 29218243)
53. Holy EW, Forestier M, Richter EK, Akhmedov A, Leiber F, Camici GG, Mocharla P, Luscher TF, Beer JH, Tanner FC. Dietary alpha-linolenic acid inhibits arterial thrombus formation, tissue factor expression, and platelet activation. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2011;31:1772-80.
54. Thies F, Miles EA, Nebe-von-Caron G, Powell JR, Hurst TL, Newsholme EA, Calder PC. Influence of dietary supplementation with long-chain n-3 or n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids on blood inflammatory cell populations and functions and on plasma soluble adhesion molecules in healthy adults. Lipids 2001;36:1183-93. (Pubitemid 34007971)
55. Rallidis LS, Paschos G, Liakos GK, Velissaridou AH, Anastasiadis G, Zampelas A. Dietary alpha-linolenic acid decreases c-reactive protein, serum amyloid a and interleukin-6 in dyslipidaemic patients. Atherosclerosis 2003;167:237-42. (Pubitemid 36773523)
56. Mozaffarian D, Ascherio A, Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, Siscovick DS, Rimm EB. Interplay between different polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk of coronary heart disease in men. Circulation 2005;111:157-64. (Pubitemid 40139726)
57. de Lorgeril M, Renaud S, Salen P, Monjaud I, Mamelle N, Martin JL, Guidollet J, Touboul P, Delaye J. Mediterranean alpha-linolenic acid-rich diet in secondary prevention of coronary heart disease. Lancet 1994;343:1454-9. (Pubitemid 24176333)
58. Singh RB, Dubnov G, Niaz MA, Ghosh S, Singh R, Rastogi SS, Manor O, Pella D, Berry EM. Effect of an Indo-Mediterranean diet on progression of coronary artery disease in high risk patients (Indo-Mediterranean Diet Heart Study): a randomised single-blind trial. Lancet 2002;360:1455-61. (Pubitemid 35356323)
59. Mann J. The Indo-Mediterranean diet revisited. Lancet 2005;366:353-4. (Pubitemid 41073947)
60. Kromhout D, Giltay EJ, Geleijnse JM. N-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular events after myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med 2010;363:2015-26.