A new study published in The BMJ reveals that a high intake of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)—mainly found in plant oils, nuts, and seeds—is linked to a lower risk of death from all causes, particularly cardiovascular diseases.
However, the study also notes a slightly higher risk of cancer-related mortality with higher ALA intake, requiring further investigation.
Study Overview
The international research team analyzed 41 studies published between 1991 and 2021, involving around 120,000 participants aged 18 to 98.
Participants were monitored for two to 32 years. The studies controlled for variables such as age, weight, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and physical activity.
Key Findings
The researchers found that a high intake of ALA was associated with a 10%, 8%, and 11% lower risk of mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and coronary heart disease, respectively.
This translates to 113 fewer deaths per 10,000 person-years for all causes, 33 fewer deaths from cardiovascular diseases, and 23 fewer deaths from coronary heart disease.
However, a higher intake of ALA was also linked to a slightly increased risk of cancer mortality, corresponding to 63 additional cancer deaths for those with the highest versus the lowest levels of ALA intake.
Methodological Limitations
The researchers acknowledge the limitations of their study due to its observational nature.
They cannot establish causality and cannot rule out the possibility that other unknown factors or measurement errors might have influenced their results.
Nevertheless, the study’s rigorous methodology makes its conclusions robust, contributing to the growing body of evidence on the potential health benefits of polyunsaturated fatty acids like ALA.
Dietary Recommendations and Cautions
While ALA has shown beneficial effects on cardiovascular health, caution is needed when making dietary recommendations.
The study suggests that a higher intake of ALA might slightly increase the risk of cancer mortality, although more studies are needed to confirm this risk.
Conclusion and Future Directions
The study adds to the existing literature suggesting the potential health benefits of ALA, especially in reducing cardiovascular mortality.
However, the potential risk of higher cancer mortality with higher ALA intake necessitates further research.
Future studies should also focus on whether specific foods rich in ALA differentially affect mortality rates from various causes.
The findings serve as both a promising and cautionary tale, urging further research to clarify the full range of ALA’s health impacts.
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The research findings can be found in BMJ.
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