Dietary intake and plasma concentrations of PUFAs in childhood and adolescence in relation to asthma and lung function up to adulthood

Abstract

Background: PUFAs may influence the risk of asthma; however, long-term prospective studies including objective biomarkers of PUFA intake are lacking.

Objectives: The objective was to investigate the role of dietary intake and plasma concentrations of n-3 and n-6 (ω-3 and ω-6) PUFAs in childhood and adolescence for the development of asthma and lung function up to young adulthood.

Methods: The study included participants from the Swedish prospective birth cohort BAMSE. Dietary intake of PUFAs was calculated from FFQs (n = 1992) and plasma proportions of PUFAs were measured in phospholipids (n = 831). We analyzed the n-3 PUFA α-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3n-3); the sum of very-long-chain (VLC) n-3 PUFAs: EPA (20:5n-3), DHA (22:6n-3), and docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n-3); and the n-6 PUFAs linoleic acid (LA; 18:2n-6) and arachidonic acid (AA; 20:4n-6). Asthma was assessed by questionnaires at 8, 16, and 24 y and lung function was measured by spirometry at 24 y.

Results: A high (≥median) self-reported dietary intake of LA at 8 y and AA at 16 y was associated with increased risk of prevalent asthma at 24 y (OR: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.82 and OR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.70, respectively). In contrast, plasma proportions of ALA, ∑VLC n-3 PUFAs, and AA at 8 y, as well as LA at 16 y, were inversely associated with prevalent asthma at 24 y (e.g., OR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.38, 0.81 for ∑VLC n-3 PUFAs). No consistent associations were observed with lung function.

Conclusions: High dietary intake of certain n-6 PUFAs in childhood or adolescence may be associated with increased risk of asthma up to young adulthood, whereas dietary biomarkers of certain n-3 and n-6 PUFAs in plasma may be associated with decreased risk. Thus, the role of diet compared with altered metabolism of PUFAs needs further investigation to improve dietary preventive strategies for asthma.

Keywords: asthma; childhood; dietary intake; longitudinal cohort; lung function; plasma proportions; polyunsaturated fatty acids; young adulthood.