Abstract 17606: Red Blood Cell Fatty Acids and Biomarkers of Inflammation

Abstract

Introduction: Omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with lower cardiovascular mortality. There are several biological functions related to omega-3 fatty acids that are cardioprotective in vasculature, blood pressure and triglycerides levels. The relation between vascular inflammation and omega-3 biomarkers has been described incompletely.

Methods and Results: We evaluated red blood cell (RBC) fatty acids, a stable surrogate of tissue fatty acid status, in 3,020 participants (mean age 66±9 years, 54% women, 8% minorities) from the Framingham Offspring and minority Omni Cohorts. We selected 10 biomarkers representing multiple inflammatory pathways (shown in Table 1). In age- and sex-adjusted models, all inflammatory biomarkers were inversely associated with omega-3 levels (r=-0.07 for osteoprotegerin, p<0.0001 to r=-0.14 for interleukin-6, p<0.0001). After adjusting for standard cardiovascular risk factors, all biomarkers of inflammation remained statistically associated with omega-3 levels (Table 1).

Conclusion: In our large community-based study, we observed modest inverse associations between inflammatory biomarkers with RBC omega-3 levels. Our findings support the hypothesis that omega-3 fatty acids may have anti-inflammatory properties.