Omega-3s found in seafood have been shown to improve kidney health, according to a recent study published in the British Mmdical Journal, a peer-reviewed medical trade journal published by the British Medical Association.
The study, “Association of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids with incident chronic kidney disease: pooled analysis of 19 cohorts,” was performed by researchers from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. They analyzed data from 19 studies from 12 countries to assess what, if any, link exists between long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) and chronic kidney disease.. The 25,570 participants in the studies were between 49 and 77 years of age at the beginning of the study. Overall, 4,944, or 19.3 percent, developed incident chronic kidney disease in subsequent years, according to follow-up research conducted over 11 years. Participants in the studies who had higher levels of seafood-derived omega-3 in their diets had an 8 percent lower risk of developing chronic kidney disease, and those consuming the highest levels of omega-3s found only in seafood had a 13 percent lower risk of developing chronic kidney disease compared to those in the studies who had consumed the lowest levels of seafood-originated omega-3s.
The three individual omega-3s from seafood identified in the study as being beneficial were eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), according to Medical News Today. Plant-derived omega-3s, such as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), found primarily in nuts and seeds, had no effect on chronic kidney disease outcomes, the study found.
“The important implication from our study is that adequate consumption of seafood and oily fish (where most such blood omega-3 fatty acids come from) may help to prevent or delay the development of chronic kidney disease,” Dr. Kwok Leung Ong, a senior research fellow at University of New South Wales’ School of Biomedical Sciences, told MNT.
Around 850 million people globally, including 37 million in the U.S., are affected by chronic kidney disease, mostly elderly individuals. Risk factors include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and a family history of kidney failure, according to Medical News Today, and if untreated, chronic kidney disease can lead to kidney failure and is linked to cardiovascular disease, making it potentially deadly.
The study was a part of the Fatty Acids and Outcomes Research (FORCE) , a consortium created to advance better understanding of the relationships between fatty acids and metabolic processes.
Ong cautioned the study do not indicate a direct causal relationship between seafood-derived omega-3s and reduced chronic kidney disease, and Dr. Eamon Laird, avisiting research fellow at Trinity College, Dublin, who was not involved in the study, called the findings “controversial,” arguing many other compounds could have had a similar effect, MNT reported.
“The seafood-derived omega-3 is in a ‘ready to use’ form by the body already, and it makes scientific sense it would be associated with a health outcome such as [chronic kidney disease],” he said. “The authors did not take into account other dietary factors (including other vitamins, e.g. vitamin D and minerals found in fish) which also have anti-inflammatory benefits which the EPA and DHA levels are just tracking against.”
Dyersburg, Tennessee, U.S.A.-based kidney-care group The Kidney Experts CEO Dr. Shree Mulay, who was not involved in the study, said the study is a promising advancement in the study of the links between omega-3s and their potential role in preventing chronic kidney disease.
“It’s exciting to explore if eating fattier seafood could lead to increased [omega-3] intake and slower [chronic kidney disease] progression. However, it’s essential to be wary as many of these fish are packed with phosphorus – a mineral that nephrologists work hard to keep low in dialysis patients and those with advanced CKD,” he told MNT.
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