Plasma n-3 fatty acids and psychological distress in aboriginal Cree Indians (Canada).
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between psychological distress (PD) and plasma n-3 long-chain (LC) PUFA, i.e. EPA, docosapentaenoic acid (DPAn-3) and DHA.


METHODS
Population-based, cross-sectional Santé-Québec Health Survey (1991). Participants were categorized as high-level PD if they scored over the 80th percentile of the PD Index in the Santé-Québec Survey; non-distressed subjects were those who scored less than this cut-off. Associations between tertiles of n-3 fatty acids (FA) and the risk of high-level PD were expressed as odds ratios, with the lowest tertile as the reference group.


METHODS
Québec, Canada.


METHODS
Data were analysed from a representative sample of 852 James Bay Cree Indian adults aged 18 years and over.


RESULTS
Proportions of n-3 FA were statistically significantly lower in the PD than in the non-distressed group. After adjustment for confounders, EPA was the only individual n-3 FA significantly associated with the risk of high-level PD. Combinations of EPA + DHA or EPA + DPAn-3 + DHA or the sum of n-3 were also associated with the risk of high-level PD. Compared with the lowest tertile of EPA + DHA, the OR for high-level PD was 0.89 (95 % CI 0.59, 1.36) for the second and 0.56 (95 % CI 0.32, 0.98) for the third tertile, after controlling for confounders.


CONCLUSIONS
In the present retrospective, cross-sectional study, we found that proportions of n-3 LC PUFA in plasma phospholipids, markers of n-3 LC PUFA consumption from fish, were inversely associated with PD.
Lucas
Michel
M
Public Health Research Unit, Laval University Medical Research Centre, Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada.
Dewailly
Eric
E
Blanchet
Carole
C
Gingras
Suzanne
S
Holub
Bruce J
BJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000097:blood; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000097:blood; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000032:analysis; D011792:Quebec; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D010743:Phospholipids; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid