Washington, March 1: A recent research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) investigated the impact of omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA and DHA, and whether they could be protective against getting COVID-19 infection and/or experiencing negative results. The study compared the risk for three COVID-19 outcomes: 1-testing positive, 2-hospitalization, and 3-death as a function of baseline plasma DHA levels.

DHA levels (% of total fatty acids) were measured by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy but were converted to Omega-3 Index (red blood cell EPA+DHA%) for this analysis. COVID-19 Infection During Pregnancy Increases Fatality Rate and Serious Health Risks Significantly: Study.

The three outcomes and relevant covariates were available for 110,584 subjects (hospitalization and death) and for 26,595 ever-tested subjects (positive COVID-19 PCR test result) via the UK Biobank prospective cohort study. These COVID-19 outcomes were assessed between January 2020 and March 2021.

In the fully adjusted models, subjects in quintile 5 (with the highest Omega-3 Index levels) were 21% less likely to test positive than those in quintile 1, and the risk for a positive test was 8% lower for each 1-SD (standard deviation) increase in plasma DHA%. Quintile 5 subjects were also 26% less likely to be hospitalized than those in quintile 1, and risk for hospitalization was 11% lower per 1-SD increase in DHA%.

For death with COVID-19, risk was monotonically lower through quintile 4, but in quintile 5, the risk reduction was partially attenuated and became non-significant. Estimated Omega-3 Index values across the five DHA quintiles ranged from 3.5% (quintile 1) to 8% (quintile 5).

"These values comport well with the Omega-3 Index risk cut points [originally proposed in 2004 for death from cardiovascular disease] of 8% (low risk) and imply that these target levels apply to COVID-19 outcomes as well," researchers noted in their paper. COVID-19 Patients at High Death Risk for at Least 18 Months From Infection, Warn Researchers.

The investigators also point out that South Korea and Japan have reported an extremely low severity of COVID-19 disease and that although masking practices, social distancing policies and other population-wide interventions no doubt contributed to this, it is interesting to note that the Omega-3 Index values of healthy South Korean and Japanese individuals are about 8-12% and 7-11% respectively, which is much higher compared to an Omega-3 Index of 4-5% in Western populations such as the United States.

"A worldwide pattern linking higher omega-3 fatty acid intakes with lower rates of death with COVID-19 was documented by Vivar-Sierra et al. Although only suggestive, this observation adds further support for a potential role of omega-3s EPA and DHA in the prevention of fatal COVID-19 disease," the researchers said.

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