title: Dietary ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and risk for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a severe progressive disease that cannot be prevented or cured. Diet-derived long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are incorporated in brain lipids and modulate oxidative and inflammatory processes and could thus affect ALS risk and progression.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association between ω-6 and ω-3 PUFA consumption and ALS risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal analyses based on 1,002,082 participants (479,114 women and 522,968 men) in 5 prospective cohorts: the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study, the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, the Multiethnic Cohort Study, and the Nurses' Health Study. Diet was assessed via food frequency questionnaire developed or modified for each cohort. Participants were categorized into cohort-specific quintiles of intake of energy-adjusted dietary variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohort-specific multivariable-adjusted risk ratios (RRs) of ALS incidence or death estimated by Cox proportional hazards regression and pooled using random-effects methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 995 ALS cases were documented during the follow-up. A greater ω-3 PUFA intake was associated with a reduced risk for ALS. The pooled, multivariable-adjusted RR for the highest to the lowest quintile was 0.66 (95% CI, 0.53-0.81; P < .001 for trend). Consumption of both α-linolenic acid (RR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.59-0.89; P = .003 for trend) and marine ω-3 PUFAs (RR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.65-1.08; P = .03 for trend) contributed to this inverse association. Intakes of ω-6 PUFA were not associated with ALS risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consumption of foods high in ω-3 PUFAs may help prevent or delay the onset of ALS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Kathryn C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts7Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Éilis J
authors.initials: ÉJ
authors.lastname: O'Reilly
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston6Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Guido J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Falcone
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology Research Program, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Marjorie L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: McCullough
authors.affiliation: Nutritional Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Yikyung
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology Program, Cancer Center, University of Hawaii, Honolulu.
authors.forename: Laurence N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Kolonel
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts6Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts7Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical Scho.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ascherio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002149:Energy Intake; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3