Taking Omega-6 Fatty Acids may prevent premature death

Introduction Because the human body cannot synthesize or synthesize very little and must be obtained from food, linoleic acid is called an essential fatty acid. And because linoleic acid can lower blood cholesterol and prevent atherosclerosis, it has received much attention. Recently, a new study showed that eating linoleic acid can prevent premature death, reaffirming the importance of the intake of linoleic acid to health.

Recently, a new study by Jyrki Virtanen, associate professor at the University of Eastern Finland, showed that higher levels of linoleic acid (the most common polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids) in the blood can reduce the risk of premature death and also help prevent heart failure. Vascular disease. The results of this study were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids have long been known for their beneficial effects in lowering blood cholesterol levels, but there are also related speculations that they may increase the risk of cancer by triggering low-grade inflammation, which is presumably based on the fact that linoleic acid is found in humans. The theory of converting to arachidonic acid, which is also an omega-6 fatty acid, and arachidonic acid converted to various pro-inflammatory compounds. At the same time, however, increasing levels of omega-6 fatty acids in the blood also increase the production of anti-inflammatory compounds. Therefore, the correlation between dietary factors and the risk of disease is difficult to determine simply.

The University of East Finland's Kuopio Institute for Research on Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor (KIHD) established the blood fatty acid levels of 2,480 men between the ages of 42 and 60 when the study was initiated in 1984-1989. During an average of 22 years of follow-up, 1,143 men died of the disease, and deaths due to accidents or other causes were excluded from the study.

Scientists divided subjects into five groups based on the level of linoleic acid in the blood. They found that the risk of premature death was reduced by 43% in the highest group compared with the lowest group. Further analysis of the cause of death found that the number of people who died of cardiovascular disease was similar to that of other people who died of other diseases. In addition, no link was observed between linoleic acid levels and cancer-induced death. Similar researchers also observed a weak correlation between blood arachidonic acid levels and mortality.

Another important finding of this study was that regardless of whether participants were suffering from cardiovascular disease, cancer, or diabetes at the time of the study, the higher the linoleic acid level, the lower the mortality rate. The results were very similar, indicating that linoleic acid High levels can reduce mortality.

This study supports early population-based studies that showed that intake of linoleic acid and high linoleic acid levels reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes without increasing the risk The risk of cancer. The association of arachidonic acid with the risk of death observed in this study is a new finding.

The level of linoleic acid in the blood can be determined by a person's diet (main source of linoleic acid is vegetable oil, nuts, seeds, etc.), but dietary effects on arachidonic acid levels in the blood are negligible. The research between reducing premature death rate needs further progress.