Omega-3 Fatty Acids: A Lifeline for Lung Health

New research, financed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), signals a positive correlation between the intake of omega-3 fatty acids and lung health. The study accentuates the importance of incorporating omega-3 fatty acids into our diet, as many Americans fall short of the recommended consumption. Executed in two phases, the investigation involved a considerable number of healthy adults and indicated that elevated levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood could be linked to a slower deterioration in lung function.

Omega-3 fatty acids, predominantly found in fish and fish oil, demonstrate potential in preserving lung health, according to this extensive research backed by the National Institutes of Health.

This large-scale, multifaceted research on healthy adults, underwritten by NIH, showcases the promise of omega-3 fatty acids, largely sourced from fish and fish oil supplements, in promoting lung health. The study offers the most compelling evidence so far supporting this link and emphasizes the necessity of incorporating omega-3 fatty acids in one’s diet, especially considering the deficiency in many American diets. Primarily funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a part of NIH, the results were published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

“Although much is known about the impact of diet on cancer and cardiovascular diseases, its role in chronic lung disease isn’t as well-studied,” noted corresponding author Patricia A. Cassano, Ph.D., director of the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. “Our study expands the growing body of evidence suggesting that omega-3 fatty acids, integral to a healthy diet, may also play a crucial role in lung health.”

The Rising Interest in Nutritional Interventions

The potential role of nutritional interventions in preventing lung disease has recently gained interest. Prior studies have hinted at the possible benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, largely due to their known anti-inflammatory effects. Nevertheless, robust studies exploring this connection have been scarce until now.

To delve deeper, researchers crafted a two-part study to examine the connection between omega-3 fatty acid levels in the blood and lung function over time. The first phase involved a longitudinal, observational study with 15,063 Americans from the NHLBI Pooled Cohorts Study — an extensive pool of NIH-funded studies designed to investigate personalized risk factors for chronic lung disease.

Key Insights from the Study

The participants, mostly healthy at the outset and predominantly without signs of chronic lung disease, comprised a racially diverse group of adults, averaging 56 years of age, with females making up 55% of the group. The researchers tracked the participants over an average of seven years, with some being followed for up to 20 years.

The longitudinal research revealed a correlation between higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids and slower lung function decline. The strongest links were noted for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid abundantly found in fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines, which is also available as a dietary supplement.

In the second phase, the team analyzed genetic data from a vast study of European patients (over 500,000 participants) from the UK Biobank. They evaluated specific genetic markers in the blood as a proxy for dietary omega-3 fatty acid levels to see how they correlated with lung health. The findings suggested that higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids — including DHA — were associated with improved lung function.

Future Directions: Precision Nutrition for Lung Diseases

One limitation of the present study is that it solely involved healthy adults. Researchers are now teaming up with the COPDGene study to investigate the correlation between omega-3 fatty acid blood levels and the rate of lung function decline in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including heavy smokers, to see if the same beneficial relationships are evident.

“Nutritional research is beginning to focus on precision nutrition for treating lung diseases,” said study lead author Bonnie K. Patchen, Ph.D., a nutritionist and member of Cassano’s research team at Cornell. “This could potentially lead to personalized dietary recommendations for individuals at high risk for chronic lung disease in the future.”

For now, the researchers emphasize that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise consuming at least two servings of fish per week, a benchmark most Americans do not meet. Besides fish and fish oil, other sources of omega-3 fatty acids encompass nuts and seeds, plant oils, and fortified foods.

“This extensive population-based study suggests that nutrients with anti-inflammatory attributes may aid in maintaining lung health,” noted James P. Kiley, Ph.D., director of the NHLBI’s Division of Lung Diseases. “Further research is required as these findings prompt intriguing queries for future prospective studies about the relationship between omega-3 fatty acids and lung function.”

Reference: “Investigating associations of omega-3 fatty acids, lung function decline, and airway obstruction” by Bonnie K. Patchen, Pallavi Balte, Traci M Bartz, R. Graham Barr, Myriam Fornage, Mariaelisa Graff, David R Jacobs Jr, Ravi Kalhan, Rozenn N Lemaitre, George O’Connor, Bruce Psaty, Jungkyun Seo, Michael Y Tsai, Alexis C Wood, Hanfei Xu, Jingwen Zhang, Sina A Gharib, Ani Manichaikul, Kari North, Lyn M Steffen, Josée Dupuis, Elizabeth Oelsner, Dana B Hancock and Patricia A Cassano, Accepted, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202301-0074OC

This research received support from NHLBI award R01HL149352 and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases award T32DK007158. The NHLBI Pooled Cohorts Study received backing from NIH/NHLBI awards R21HL121457, R21HL129924, and K23HL130627. For a complete outline of funding information, please refer to the published journal article.

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More about Omega-3 fatty acids and lung health

• National Institutes of Health
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
• COPDGene study
• US Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines
• UK Biobank