Radiology Department, Clinical Diagnostic Imaging Centre, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August i Sunyer, Hospital Clínic, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; bargalloclinic.ub.es (N.B.).
Magnetic Resonance Image Core Facility, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August i Sunyer, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
Nutrients. 2017 Sep 20;9(9):1036. doi: 10.3390/nu9091036.
Supplemental marine omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) has an anti-atherosclerotic effect. Clinical research on EPA supplied by the regular diet and atherosclerosis is scarce. In the framework of the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) trial, we conducted a cross-sectional study in 161 older individuals at high vascular risk grouped into different stages of carotid atherosclerosis severity, including those without ultrasound-detected atheroma plaque ( = 38), with plaques <2.0 mm thick ( = 65), and with plaques ≥2.0 mm ( = 79). The latter were asked to undergo contrast-enhanced 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and were subsequently grouped into absence ( = 31) or presence ( = 27) of MRI-detectable plaque lipid, a main feature of unstable atheroma plaques. We determined the red blood cell (RBC) proportion of EPA (a valid marker of long-term EPA intake) at enrolment by gas chromatography. In multivariate models, EPA related inversely to MRI-assessed plaque lipid volume, but not to maximum intima-media thickness of internal carotid artery, plaque burden, or MRI-assessed normalized wall index. The inverse association between EPA and plaque lipid content in patients with advanced atherosclerosis supports the notion that this fatty acid might improve cardiovascular health through stabilization of advanced atheroma plaques.
补充海洋ω-3 二十碳五烯酸（EPA）具有抗动脉粥样硬化作用。关于通过日常饮食摄入 EPA 与动脉粥样硬化的临床研究较少。在 PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea（PREDIMED）试验框架内，我们对 161 名处于高血管风险的老年人进行了一项横断面研究，这些人分为不同阶段的颈动脉粥样硬化严重程度，包括那些没有超声检测到动脉粥样硬化斑块的人（= 38）、斑块厚度<2.0 毫米的人（= 65）和斑块厚度≥2.0 毫米的人（= 79）。后者被要求进行对比增强 3T 磁共振成像（MRI），并随后根据是否存在 MRI 检测到的斑块脂质（不稳定动脉粥样硬化斑块的主要特征）进行分组。我们在登记时通过气相色谱法确定了红细胞（RBC）中 EPA 的比例（长期 EPA 摄入的有效标志物）。在多变量模型中，EPA 与 MRI 评估的斑块脂质体积呈负相关，但与颈内动脉内膜中层最大厚度、斑块负荷或 MRI 评估的标准化壁指数无关。在动脉粥样硬化进展患者中，EPA 与斑块脂质含量之间的负相关关系支持这样一种观点，即这种脂肪酸可能通过稳定进展性动脉粥样硬化斑块来改善心血管健康。
