NHANES Study: Association between Intake of Linoleic Acid and Alpha-linolenic Acid and Mortality in Patients with Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus represents one of the major challenges for public health, with growing concerns regarding chronic complications and associated mortality. Among the many variables involved in diabetes management, diet plays a fundamental role.
In particular, the intake of essential fatty acids such as linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) has attracted interest for its potential impact on cardiovascular health and long-term survival of patients with diabetes.
Previous studies have suggested an association between LA and ALA intake and various health outcomes, including mortality. However, the exact nature of this association and its impact in patients with diabetes has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, it is crucial to examine in more detail the effect of dietary intake of LA and ALA on mortality in this specific population.
Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), this study aims to investigate the association between LA and ALA intake and mortality outcomes in US adults with diabetes. The collected data include information on demographic characteristics, lifestyle, metabolic parameters, and dietary intake, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of confounding factors.
Better understanding the role of these essential fatty acids in the prognosis of patients with diabetes could have significant implications for clinical management and nutritional policies aimed at improving the health and quality of life of this vulnerable population.
To investigate the association between dietary intake of linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) with mortality outcomes in patients with diabetes, 3,112 US adults aged ≥20 years were involved.
Baseline information was collected at the beginning of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Serum CRP (mg/dL), total protein (g/L), waist circumference (cm), fasting blood glucose (mmol/L), white blood cell count, serum LDL cholesterol, and serum HDL cholesterol were also measured.
Daily diets were recorded through a 24-hour dietary recall to determine individual intake of LA and ALA. The association between tertiles of LA and ALA intake with mortality was analyzed using Cox models weighted for major confounders.
The study involved 3,112 adults with diabetes from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2008. Death outcomes were ascertained by linking to database records until December 31, 2015.
Subjects with high LA intake (T3) had reductions of 17% [relative risk (RR) 0.83, 95% confidence interval 0.70-0.99] and 48% (RR=0.52, 0.35-0.80) in all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality, respectively, compared to those with the lowest intake (T1).
Similar results were observed for ALA, with an RR for cardiovascular mortality of 0.55 (0.38-0.81) and for all-cause mortality of 0.85 (0.69-1.04) when comparing the highest and lowest intake tertiles.
Higher intakes of LA and ALA were inversely associated with deaths from cardiovascular diseases and all causes in patients with diabetes. Adequate dietary intake of LA and ALA could contribute to cardiovascular health and long-term survival of patients with diabetes.
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