Dietary α‐Linolenic Acid, Marine ω‐3 Fatty Acids, and Mortality in a Population With High Fish Consumption: Findings From the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) Study

Background-—Epidemiological evidence suggests a cardioprotectiverole of a- linolenic acid( ALA), a plant-derived x-3 fatty acid. It is unclear whether ALAis beneficial in a background of high marine x-3 fatty acids(long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) intake. In persons at high cardiovascular risk from Spain, a country in which fish consumption is customarily high, we investigated whether meeting the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acidsand Lipids recommendation for dietary ALA(0.7% of total energy) at baseline was related to all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. We also examined the effect of meeting the society’s recommendation for long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids(≥500 mg/day).