Long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids intake and cardiovascular disease mortality risk in Japanese: a 24-year follow-up of NIPPON DATA80.
BACKGROUND
Dietary intake of long-chain n-3 PUFA (LCn3FA) among Japanese is generally higher than that in Western populations. However, little is known whether an inverse association of LCn3FA with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk exists in a population with higher LCn3FA intake.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between LCn3FA intake and the long-term risk of CVDs in a Japanese general population.


METHODS
We followed-up a total of 9190 individuals (56.2% women, mean age 50.0 years) randomly selected from 300 areas across Japan and free from CVDs at baseline. Dietary LCn3FA intake was estimated using household weighed food records. Cox models were used to calculate multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and confidence intervals (CI) according to sex specific quartiles of LCn3FA intake.


RESULTS
During 24-year follow-up (192,897 person-years), 879 cardiovascular deaths were observed. The median daily intake of LCn3FA was 0.37% kcal (0.86 g/day). Adjusted HR for CVD mortality was lower in the highest quartile of LCn3FA intake (HR 0.80; 95% CI 0.66-0.96) compared with the lowest quartile, and the trend was statistically significant (P = 0.038). The similar but statistically non-significant trends were observed for coronary heart disease death and stroke death. In analyses by age groups, the inverse associations of LCn3FA intake with the risk of total CVD death and stroke death were significant in younger individuals (30-59 years at baseline).


CONCLUSIONS
LCn3FA intake was inversely and independently associated the long-term risk of total CVD mortality in a representative sample of Japanese with high LCn3FA intake.
Department of Health Science, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan. Electronic address: naocom@belle.shiga-med.ac.jp.
Naoko
N
Miyagawa
Department of Health Science, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan; Center for Epidemiologic Research in Asia, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan.
Katsuyuki
K
Miura
Section of the National Health and Nutrition Survey, National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, Japan.
Nagako
N
Okuda
Department of Health Science, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan.
Takashi
T
Kadowaki
Department of Health Science, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan.
Naoyuki
N
Takashima
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan.
Shin-Ya
SY
Nagasawa
Cardiovascular Epidemiology, Kyoto Women's University, Kyoto, Japan.
Yasuyuki
Y
Nakamura
Faculty of Health and Nutrition, Bunkyo University, Chigasaki, Japan.
Yasuhiro
Y
Matsumura
Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
Atsushi
A
Hozawa
Department of Health Science, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan.
Akira
A
Fujiyoshi
Department of Health Science, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan; Center for Epidemiologic Research in Asia, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan.
Takashi
T
Hisamatsu
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan.
Katsushi
K
Yoshita
Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Akira
A
Sekikawa
Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Takayoshi
T
Ohkubo
Center for Epidemiologic Research in Asia, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan.
Robert D
RD
Abbott
Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan.
Tomonori
T
Okamura
The First Institute for Health Promotion and Health Care, Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association, Tokyo, Japan.
Akira
A
Okayama
Department of Health Science, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan; Center for Epidemiologic Research in Asia, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan.
Hirotsugu
H
Ueshima
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004032:Diet; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3
Cardiovascular disease mortality; Cohort study; Long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid; Nutrition