Membrane Level of Omega-3 Docosahexaenoic Acid Is Associated with Severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract

background: Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a major component of neural tissues, and supplementation with fi sh oils improves autonomic tone and reduces risk for CVD. A link between low DHA status and less mature sleep patterns was observed in newborns. Methods: We investigated the relations between red blood cell (RBC) levels of DHA and OSA severity in 350 sequential patients undergoing sleep studies. Severity categories were defi ned as none/mild, moderate, and severe, based on apnea hypopnea index (AHI) scores of 0 to 14, 15 to 34, and > 34, respectively. Results: After controlling for age, sex, race, smoking, BMI, alcohol intake, fi sh intake, and omega-3 supplementation, RBC DHA was inversely related with OSA severity. For each 1-SD increase in DHA levels, a patient was about 50% less likely to be classifi ed with severe OSA. The odds ratios (95% CI) were 0.47 (0.28 to 0.80) and 0.55 (0.31 to 0.99) for being in the severe group versus the none/mild or moderate groups, respectively. Conclusion: These fi ndings suggest that disordered membrane fatty acid patterns may play a causal role in OSA and that the assessment of RBC DHA levels might help in the diagnosis of OSA. The effects of DHA supplementation on OSA should be explored. keywords: Omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid, epidemiology, sleep disordered breathing, biomarkers Citation: Ladesich JB; Pottala JV; Romaker A; Harris WS. Membrane level of omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid is associated with severity of obstructive sleep apnea.

Clinical correlates and heritability of erythrocyte eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid content in the Framingham Heart Study

“…This increased the total explained variability to 73%, which was greater than previously reported [42,76]. The largest shift in amount of explained variance between heritability (15% decrease) and covariates (25% increase) was observed after dietary EPA + DHA intake was included in the model.…”

Fatty acids and sleep in UK children: subjective and pilot objective sleep results from the DOLAB study – a randomized controlled trial

“…In line with these mechanisms, epidemiological studies find higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids associated with fewer sleep problems in infants (Cheruku et al, 2002) and adults (Papandreou, 2013) and children with ADHD (Burgess et al, 2000). DHA was also associated with less severe sleep apnea (Ladesich et al, 2011).…”

Comparative effects of an acute dose of fish oil on omega-3 fatty acid levels in red blood cells versus plasma: Implications for clinical utility

“…1,22 This particular assay method has now been widely used in a variety of studies that examined not only CVD but also depression and cognitive function. [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] Others that used different analytical methods have reported RBC n-3 FA associations with other conditions. For example, in a large cohort in China, RBC DHA was strongly and inversely associated with risk of multiple forms of chronic disease.…”