Association of red cell omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA, with cognitive performance in atrial fibrillation
Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia. Whether or not omega-3 Fatty Acids (n-3 FAs) have neuroprotective effects is controversial. We therefore aimed to determine the correlation of n-3 FAs with cognitive function in a large cohort of AF patients.
Red cell n-3 FAs levels were determined by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry in 2359 patients from the prospective ongoing multicenter Swiss Atrial Fibrillation study (Swiss-AF). To assess the overall cognitive performance of patients, we used several validated neurocognitive assessment tools, including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Semantic Fluency Tests (SF), Trail Making Test (TMT A&B), and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DST). We also used a summary score that we have previously developed (the cognitive construct (CoCo) score). We performed mixed-effect linear regression analyses. Two adjustment models were applied; model 1 (adjusted for age, sex, and educational level) and model 2 (adjusted for age, sex, educational level, history of stroke/TIA, AF type, heart rate, arterial hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease, BMI, chronic kidney disease, smoking status, alcohol consumption, geriatric depression scale, use of oral anticoagulation and antiplatelet medication). We also included a random intercept to control for center-effect in both models.
The mean age of our study population was 73 years (standard deviation [SD] 8.4), and 662 patients were females…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 2,359 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Promising Sources of Plant-Derived Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: A Narrative Review
- Effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake in patients with chronic kidney disease: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
- Effect of omega-3 fatty acids on cognition: an updated systematic review of randomized clinical trials
- The role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A narrative review
- Paucity of evidence for a relationship between long-chain omega-3 fatty acid intake and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review
- Omega-3 fatty acid nanocarriers: Characterization and potential applications
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.