USEFULNESS OF PLASMA PHOSPHOLIPID N-3 FATTY-ACID LEVELS IN PREDICTING DIETARY FISH INTAKE IN PATIENTS WITH CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE

An association between decreased cardiovascular mortality and high dietary fish intake1,5 has suggested a possible protective role for n-3 fatty acids against the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). An inverse relation has also been observed between the risk of CAD and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) levels in various tissues.6-10 A reasonable but unproven assumption is that tissue levels of n-3 fatty acids correlate with dietary fish intake. To test this assumption, we investigated whether a relation exists between quantity of chronic fish consumption and levels of n-3 fatty acids in plasma phospholipids, using a previously validated food frequency questionnaire.11 Plasma phospholipids were chosen because they are the plasma lipids least sensitive to changes in short-term dietary fat intake.12,13 Patients with established CAD were chosen because they are the group in which n-3 fatty acid levels have been most intensively studied. © 1990.