Dietary intake and biomarkers of alpha linolenic acid and risk of all cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies
Review (41 articles; n=1,197,564) found high vs low intake of alpha linolenic acid linked to lower risk of deaths from all causes (RR 0.90; 95% CI 0.83-0.97), CVD (0.92; 0.86-0.99) & CHD (0.89; 0.81-0.97), and a slightly higher risk of cancer mortality (1.06, 1.02-1.11).
Source:
British Medical Journal
SPS commentary:
Alpha linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid are the most common essential polyunsaturated fatty acids available in plant sources. ALA is an omega 3 all-cis-9-octadecatrienoic acid that is metabolised to eicosapentaenoic acid and, to a lesser extent, docosahexaenoic acid, which both have anti-inflammatory properties. Much attention has been given to the health benefits of ALA, which is readily available in soybean, nuts, canola oils, flaxseed, and other plant food sources.
An accompanying ‘Fast Facts’ summary notes that in a mixed diet, ALA is consumed with other fatty acids with different effects. Therefore, finding the effects of other fatty acids might help us to determine the overall effect of a diet that includes fats. It discusses why fatty acids matter in healthy diets, saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, omega 6-, omega 3- and omega 9 -fatty acids.