Intakes of long-chain omega-3 (n23) PUFAs and fish in relation to incidence of asthma among American young adults: the

Background: Although long-chain v-3 (n23) PUFAs (LCv3PUFAs) have been linked to the prevention of some inflammatory disorders, little is known about the association between these fatty acids and incidence of asthma. Objective: The objective was to prospectively investigate the association between LCv3PUFAs and fish intake and incidence of asthma among American young adults. Design: A 20-y follow-up longitudinal analysis was conducted in a biracial cohort of 4162 Americans, aged 18‐30 y, with a history of asthma at baseline in 1985. Diet was assessed by a validated interviewer-administered quantitative food-frequency questionnaire at the examinations in 1985, 1992, and 2005. Incident self-reported asthma was defined as having a physician diagnosis of asthma and/ or the use of asthma medications between 1985 and 2005. Results: During the 20-y follow-up, 446 incident cases of asthma were identified. LCv3PUFA intake was significantly inversely associated with incidence of asthma after adjustment for sociodemographic, major lifestyle, and dietary confounders. The multivariableadjusted HR for the highest quintile of LCv3PUFA intake as compared with the lowest quintile was 0.46 (95% CI: 0.33, 0.64; P-trend , 0.01). However, a higher frequency of nonfried fish consumption was not significantly associated with the risk of asthma. DHA showed a greater inverse association than did EPA. The association between LCv3PUFAs and incident asthma was not appreciably modified by sex, race, BMI, smoking status, or atopic status. Conclusion: This study showed that intakes of LCv3PUFAs are inversely longitudinally associated with the incidence of asthma in American young adults. Am J Clin Nutr 2013;97:173‐8.