Journal
BRITISH JOURNAL OF NUTRITION
Volume 129, Issue 4, Pages 670-677Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/S0007114522001751
Keywords
Cardiometabolic disease; alpha-Linolenic acid; n-3 Index; Walnuts
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This study investigated the relationship between alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) intake and n-3 index in older adults. The results showed that consuming ALA-rich walnuts did not improve the n-3 index in older adults, suggesting that direct intake of EPA/DHA may be needed to achieve the desired n-3 index.
n-3 index, the erythrocyte proportion of the EPA + DHA fatty acids is a clinical marker of age-related disease risk. It is unclear whether regular intake of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant-derived n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, raises n-3 index in older adults. Of the 356 participants at the Loma Linda, CA centre from the original study, a randomly selected subset (n 192) was included for this secondary analysis (mostly Caucasian women, mean age 69 years). Participants were assigned to either the walnut (15 % of daily energy from walnuts) or the control group (usual diet, no walnuts) for 2 years. Erythrocyte fatty acids were determined at baseline and 1-year following intervention. No differences were observed for erythrocyte EPA, but erythrocyte DHA decreased albeit modestly in the walnut group (-0.125 %) and slightly improved in the control group (0.17 %). The change in n-3 index between the walnut and control groups was significantly different only among fish consumers (those who ate fish >= once/month). Longitudinal analyses combining both groups showed significant inverse association between the 1-year changes of the n-3 index and fasting plasma TAG (beta = -10), total cholesterol (beta = -5.59) and plasma glucose (beta = -0.27). Consuming ALA-rich walnuts failed to improve n-3 index in elders. A direct source of EPA/DHA may be needed to achieve desirable n-3 index, as it is inversely associated with cardiometabolic risk. Nevertheless, incorporating walnuts as part of heart healthy diets is still encouraged.
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