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Higher RBC EPA + DHA corresponds with larger total brain and hippocampal volumes: WHIMS-MRI Study
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To test whether red blood cell (RBC) levels of marine omega-3 fatty acids measured in the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study were related to MRI brain volumes measured 8 years later. METHODS: RBC eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and MRI brain volumes were assessed in 1,111 postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study. The endpoints were total brain volume and anatomical regions. Linear mixed models included multiple imputations of fatty acids and were adjusted for hormone therapy, time since randomization, demographics, intracranial volume, and cardiovascular disease risk factors. RESULTS: In fully adjusted models, a 1 SD greater RBC EPA + DHA (omega-3 index) level was correlated with 2.1 cm(3) larger brain volume (p = 0.048). DHA was marginally correlated (p = 0.063) with total brain volume while EPA was less so (p = 0.11). There were no correlations between ischemic lesion volumes and EPA, DHA, or EPA + DHA. A 1 SD greater omega-3 index was correlated with greater hippocampal volume (50 mm(3), p = 0.036) in fully adjusted models. Comparing the fourth quartile vs the first quartile of the omega-3 index confirmed greater hippocampal volume (159 mm(3), p = 0.034). CONCLUSION: A higher omega-3 index was correlated with larger total normal brain volume and hippocampal volume in postmenopausal women measured 8 years later. While normal aging results in overall brain atrophy, lower omega-3 index may signal increased risk of hippocampal atrophy. Future studies should examine whether maintaining higher RBC EPA + DHA levels slows the rate of hippocampal or overall brain atrophy.
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“A higher omega-3 index was associated with a greater hippocampal volume in the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study [80] and with a larger brain volume and improved cognitive test scores in the Framingham offspring cohort-based study [81].”
From Role of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human nutrition and health: Review of recent studies and recommendations (2021) · cites this paper as [80]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Pottala, J. V., Yaffe, K., Robinson, J. G., Espeland, M. A., Wallace, R., & Harris, W. S.
- Affiliations
- University of Iowa (US)
- Venue
- Neurology
- Published
- 2014-02-04
- Volume
- 82
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 435-442
- ISSN
- 0028-3878 (ISSN-L)
- 1526-632X
- PMC
- PMC3917688
- OpenAlex
- W2135884119
- Cited by
- 169
- References
- 42
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 12
- FWCI
- 18.94
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Neurology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Fatty Acid Research and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
- Keywords
- omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, omega-3 index, red blood cell fatty acids, brain volume, hippocampal volume, brain atrophy, postmenopausal women, ischemic lesions, cognitive aging
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Brain, Docosahexaenoic Acids, Erythrocytes, Female, Hippocampus, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Organ Size, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Cohort Studies, Women's Health, Postmenopause
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