Healthy fats from fish and nuts may slow lung scarring and delay transplants

Could the healthy fats found in nuts and fish slow the progression of potentially fatal lung scarring known as pulmonary fibrosis and delay the need for lung transplants?

The lung researchers looked at the association between blood plasma levels of omega-3 fatty acids – heart-healthy fats found in foods such as salmon and flaxseed – and the progression of lung fibrosis, as well as how long patients they could stay without needing a transplant. The researchers found that higher omega-3 levels were associated with better lung function and longer transplant-free survival.

While more research is needed, the researchers say their findings warrant clinical trials to determine whether interventions that increase omega-3 levels could be a useful tool to improve outcomes for patients with pulmonary fibrosis and other chronic lung diseases. .

We found that higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids, reflecting several weeks of dietary intake, were associated with better lung function and longer survival. Our findings suggest that omega-3 fatty acids may be a targetable risk factor for pulmonary fibrosis.”

John Kim, MD, researcher, pulmonary and critical care expert at UVA Health and the University of Virginia School of Medicine

Omega-3 and pulmonary fibrosis

Omega-3 fatty acids have already been linked to a number of health benefits. Studies have suggested, for example, that they may reduce the risk of heart disease, blood clots that cause stroke, breast and other cancers, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Kim and his colleagues wanted to determine whether omega-3s could play a protective role in interstitial lung disease, a group of chronic lung diseases that can lead to pulmonary fibrosis. A growing problem worldwide, pulmonary fibrosis is an irreversible condition that leaves the lungs unable to properly exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. This can cause patients to have shortness of breath, weakness, inability to exercise and a host of other symptoms. Smoking is a major risk factor.

The researchers reviewed anonymized data on patients with interstitial lung disease collected in the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Registry, as well as information volunteered by patients at UVA Health and the University of Chicago.

In total, the scientists looked at information on more than 300 people with interstitial lung disease. Most were men (pulmonary fibrosis is more common in men than women) and most had “idiopathic” pulmonary fibrosis, one of the conditions that fall under the banner of interstitial lung disease.

The researchers found that higher plasma levels of omega-3 fatty acids were associated with better carbon dioxide exchange capacity and longer survival without the need for a lung transplant. This was not significantly different regardless of smoking history or whether patients had cardiovascular disease.

“High levels of omega-3 fatty acids were predictive of better clinical outcomes in pulmonary fibrosis,” Kim said. “These findings were consistent if you had a history of cardiovascular disease, suggesting that this may be specific to pulmonary fibrosis.”

Doctors say additional research is needed to understand how omega-3s might have this protective benefit. They call for clinical trials and more mechanistic studies to gain additional knowledge and determine whether omega-3 fatty acid medications or dietary changes could improve patient outcomes.

“We need further research to determine whether there are specific omega-3 fatty acids that may be beneficial and, if so, what their underlying mechanisms are,” Kim said. “Similar to other chronic diseases, we hope to determine whether nutrition-related interventions can have a positive impact on pulmonary fibrosis.”

The findings were published

The researchers published their findings in the journal Science Bosom. The research team consisted of Kim, Shwu-Fan Ma, Jennie Z. Ma, Yong Huang, Catherine A. Bonham, Justin M. Oldham, Ayodeji Adegunsoye, Mary E. Strek, Kevin R. Flaherty, Emma Strickland, Inemesit Udofia, Joshua J. Mooney, Shrestha Ghosh, Krishnarao Maddipati, and Imre Noth. Noth has received personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech, and Confo unrelated to the project. He is also seeking to patent transcriptional predictors in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. A complete list of the authors’ disclosures is included in the paper.

Kim’s work was supported by a Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Fellows Award and grant K23-HL-150301 from the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The research was also supported in part by the National Center for Research Resources, grant S10RR027926.