Omega 3 fatty acids in seafood linked to lower risk of chronic kidney problems

Medical Xpress / British Medical Journal / The BMJ ^ | Jan. 18, 2023 | Kwok Leung Ong et al

[ConservativeMind]

Higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids found in seafood are associated with a moderately lower risk of chronic kidney disease and a slower decline in kidney function, finds a study.

These associations were not found with higher levels of plant derived omega 3 fatty acids.

An international team pooled the results of 19 studies from 12 countries up to May 2020 looking at links between levels of n-3 PUFA biomarkers and development of CKD in adults.

Biomarkers included eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and alpha linolenic acid (ALA). The main dietary sources of EPA, DHA and DPA come from seafood, while ALA is found mainly in plants.

CKD was identified by an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of less than 60 ml/min/1.73 m2. eGFR measures how well the kidneys are removing waste and excess fluid from the blood. The normal range is 90-120 ml/min/1.73 m2.

Overall, 25,570 participants were included. Their average age ranged from 49 to 77 years and their average baseline eGFR ranged from 76.1 to 99.8 mL/min/1.73 m2.

After accounting for other a range of factors including age, sex, race, body mass index, smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, heart disease and diabetes, higher levels of total seafood n-3 PUFAs were associated with a modest (8%) lower risk of developing CKD.

When participants were split by n-3 PUFA levels, those with total seafood n-3 PUFA levels in the highest fifth had a 13% lower risk of CKD compared with those in the lowest fifth.

Higher levels of total seafood n-3 PUFAs, especially DHA, were also associated with a slower annual decline in eGFR. For instance, the annual decline in eGFR was 0.07 mL/min/1.73 m2 lower for people with total seafood n-3 PUFA level in the highest fifth than those in the lowest fifth.

[ConservativeMind]

It was an association found, but they took out a lot of obvious confounding stuff, so it is more likely to point to causation.

[ConservativeMind]

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[murron]

You would think that areas where there is heavy seafood consumption would gave high numbers of cases OF CKD such as New Orleans and surrounding suburbs where I have lived for 74 years. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.

[Telepathic Intruder]

Deep-water fish generally contains higher amounts of omega 3 than shallow-water fish, especially salmon, and especially sockeye salmon from Alaska. But, seafood can also contain mercury, which is not so good.