Dietary Intake of Marine Polyunsaturated n-3 Fatty Acids and Risk of Recurrent Venous Thromboembolism

Abstract

<i>Background</i> - Limited knowledge exists on the association between intake of long-chained n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) and risk of recurrence and all-cause mortality in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE).<p><p>

<i>Objectives</i> - This article investigates whether intake of marine n-3 PUFAs was associated with risk of recurrence and mortality in patients with incident VTE.<p><p>

<i>Methods</i> - A total of 595 patients with incident VTE and available data on n-3 PUFA intake were derived from the Tromsø Study surveys 4 (1994–1995) and 6 (2007–2008). Weekly intake of n-3 PUFAs was categorized as low, medium, and high based on tertiles. Recurrent VTEs and all-cause mortality were registered up to December 31, 2016. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated using Cox regression models with the low intake category as reference.<p><p>

<i>Results</i> - There were 98 recurrent VTEs and 227 deaths during follow-up. Overall, we found no association between intake of n-3 PUFAs and risk of recurrent VTE. However, inverse associations were found for high intakes in patients with unprovoked VTE (HR 0.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.20–1.01), cancer-free patients (HR 0.51, 95% CI: 0.27–0.95), and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) patients (HR 0.49, 95% CI: 0.24–0.97). The inverse associations were more evident when follow-up was restricted to the time after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy. No association was observed between intake of n-3 PUFAs and mortality after incident VTE.<p><p>

<i>Conclusion</i> - A high dietary intake of marine n-3 PUFAs was associated with lower risk of recurrent VTE after unprovoked index events, DVT, and in cancer-free patients.