The Relationship of Omega-3 Fatty Acids with Dementia and Cognitive Decline: Evidence from Prospective Cohort Studies of Supplementation, Dietary Intake, and Blood Markers

Previous data have linked omega-3 fatty acids with risk of dementia. We aimed to assess the longitudinal relationships of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake as well as blood biomarkers with risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD), dementia, or cognitive decline. Longitudinal data were derived from 1135 participants without dementia (mean age = 73 y) in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cohort to evaluate the associations of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation and blood biomarkers with incident AD during the 6-y follow-up. A meta-analysis of published cohort studies was further conducted to test the longitudinal relationships of dietary intake of omega-3 and its peripheral markers with all-cause dementia or cognitive decline. Causal dose-response analyses were conducted using the robust error meta-regression model. In the ADNI cohort, long-term users of omega-3 fatty acid supplements exhibited a 64% reduced risk of AD (hazard ratio: 0.36, 95% confidence interval: 0.18, 0.72; P = 0.004). After incorporating 48 longitudinal studies involving 103,651 participants, a moderate-to-high level of evidence suggested that dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids could lower risk of all-cause dementia or cognitive decline by similar to 20%, especially for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake (relative risk [RR]: 0.82, I-2 = 63.6%, P = 0.001) and for studies that were adjusted for apolipoproteinAPOEe4 status (RR: 0.83, I-2 = 65%, P = 0.006). Each increment of 0.1 g/d ofDHAor eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) intake was associated with an 8%similar to 9.9% (P-linear< 0.0005) lower risk of cognitive decline. Moderate-to-high levels of evidence indicated that elevated levels of plasma EPA(RR: 0.88, I-2 = 38.1%) and erythrocyte membrane DHA (RR: 0.94, I-2 = 0.4%) were associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline. Dietary intake or long-term supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids may help reduce risk of AD or cognitive decline.

Automated summary

This study aimed to assess the longitudinal relationships between omega-3 fatty acid intake and blood biomarkers with the risk of Alzheimer's disease, dementia, or cognitive decline. The findings showed that long-term use of omega-3 fatty acid supplements reduced the risk of Alzheimer's disease by 64%. A meta-analysis of multiple studies also indicated that dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids could lower the risk of dementia or cognitive decline, particularly for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake.