journal articles
ASSOCIATION OF DIETARY FATTY ACIDS WITH LONGITUDINAL CHANGE IN PLASMA-BASED BIOMARKERS OF ALZHEIMER\'S DISEASE
Serena S. Hoost, Lawrence S. Honig, Min Suk Kang, Aanya Bahl, Annie J. Lee, Danurys Sanchez, Dolly Reyes-Dumeyer, Rafael A. Lantigua, Jeffrey L. Dage, Adam M. Brickman, Jennifer J. Manly, Richard Mayeux, Yian Gu
BACKGROUND: Elevated intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is linked to a reduced risk of dementia in some prospective studies. However, few studies have examined the relationship between nutrient intake and plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease.
OBJECTIVES: We explored whether omega-3, omega-6, and monounsaturated fat intakes were associated with changes in plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease over time.
DESIGN: The Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project is a prospective cohort study (1994–2021); the data set used here includes a mean follow-up of 7.0 years.
SETTING: Community-based in New York City.
PARTICIPANTS: 599 dementia-free individuals at baseline who completed a 61-item food frequency questionnaire and had biomarkers measured in plasma from at least two different time points.
MEASUREMENTS: Fatty acid intake tertiles were computed from participant-completed 61-item Willett semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires (Channing Laboratory, Cambridge, Massachusetts) obtained once at their baseline visit. Plasma-based biomarker assays were performed, using the single molecule array technology Quanterix Simoa HD-X platform, at baseline and follow-up visits. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) models were used to evaluate the association between baseline nutrient intake tertile and changes in biomarkers including phospho-tau181, amyloid-beta 42/40 ratio, phospho-tau181/amyloid-beta42 ratio, glial fibrillary acidic protein, neurofilament light chain, and two biomarker patterns derived from Principal Component Analysis (PCA1 and PCA2), with higher scores indicating a high level of neurodegeneration and low level of Alzheimer's disease burden, respectively). Models were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and calculated total energy intake initially, and additionally for cerebrovascular risk factors.
RESULTS: Higher baseline omega-3 intake tertile was associated with lesser decline in PCA2 (β = 0.221, p < 0.001) and amyloid-beta 42/40 ratio (β = 0.022, p = 0.003), and a lesser rise in phospho-tau181 (β = -0.037, p = 0.001). Higher omega-6 intake tertile was linked to a lesser rise in phospho-tau181 (β = -0.050, p < 0.001) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (β = -0.028, p = 0.002). Most associations persisted after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors.
CONCLUSIONS: Higher relative baseline intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids is associated with lesser progression of blood-based biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. Consuming healthy fatty acids may help prevent accumulation of Alzheimer's disease-related pathological changes.
CITATION:
Serena S. Hoost ; Lawrence S. Honig ; Min Suk Kang ; Aanya Bahl ; Annie J. Lee ; Danurys Sanchez ; Dolly Reyes-Dumeyer ; Rafael A. Lantigua ; Jeffrey L. Dage ; Adam M. Brickman ; Jennifer J. Manly ; Richard Mayeux ; Yian Gu (2025): Association of dietary fatty acids with longitudinal change in plasma-based biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease (JPAD). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjpad.2025.100117