%0 Journal Article
%T Plant Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Lower Risk of Atrial Fibrillation in Individuals with a Low Intake of Marine Omega-3 Fatty Acids.
%A Bork CS
%A Larsen JM
%A Lundbye-Christensen S
%A Olsen A
%A Dahm CC
%A Riahi S
%A Overvad K
%A Schmidt EB
%J J Nutr
%V 154
%N 9
%D 2024 Sep 16
%M 39019166
%F 4.687
%R 10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.07.013
%X <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Omega-3 fatty acids derived from seafood acids may influence cardiac arrhythmogenesis, whereas the role of the major plant-derived omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), on atrial fibrillation (AF) is largely unknown.<BR><B>OBJECTIVE: </B>We aimed to investigate the association between ALA intake and risk of incident AF overall and in subjects with a low intake of marine omega-3 fatty acids.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>We followed a total of 54,260 middle-aged men and women enrolled into the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health cohort for development of AF using nationwide registries. Intake of ALA was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire and modeled as a restricted cubic spline. Statistical analyses were conducted using Cox proportional hazards regression.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>We identified a total of 4902 incident AF events during a median of 16.9 y of follow-up. In multivariable analyses, we observed indications of a statistically nonsignificant inverse association between ALA intake and risk of AF up to an ALA intake of 2.5 g/d, whereas no appreciable association was found for higher intakes of ALA. A statistically significant dose-dependent negative association was found between ALA intake and risk of AF in individuals consuming < 250 mg marine omega-3 fatty acids daily, whereas no association was found in those with a higher intake of marine omega-3 fatty acids.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>Intake of ALA was associated with a lower risk of AF in individuals consuming a low intake of marine omega-3 fatty acids. This finding is novel and warrants further investigation.