Associations of abdominal obesity and plasma fatty acids with microvascular diseases

The independent and interactive associations of abdominal obesity and fatty acids with the risk of microvascular diseases (MVDs) are still unclear. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 88,571 participants aged 40-69 years from the UK Biobank. Plasma fatty acids were quantified at baseline using high-throughput nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and were analyzed in quartiles, with the lowest quartile of each fatty acid subtype as the reference. Cox regression models were employed to assess the associations between fatty acid levels and incident MVDs, with adjustment for relevant covariates. Over a median follow-up of 13.7 years, higher levels of total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), n-3 PUFAs, and n-6 PUFAs are associated with a significantly lower risk of MVDs. The hazard ratios (HRs) for the highest versus lowest quartile (Q4 vs. Q1) are 0.81 (95% CI: 0.75-0.87), 0.89 (95% CI: 0.83-0.96), and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.79-0.91), respectively. Conversely, higher levels of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids are associated with a higher risk of MVDs. Furthermore, an antagonistic additive interaction is observed between n-3 PUFAs and abdominal obesity (RERI: −0.14, 95% CI: −0.25- −0.03). Higher plasma PUFAs are associated with a lower risk of MVDs. Furthermore, the association between n-3 PUFAs and a lower risk of MVDs is more pronounced among individuals with abdominal obesity. These findings contribute to the limited prospective evidence on the associations between plasma-specific fatty acids and MVDs. Microvascular diseases (like kidney or nerve issues from small blood vessel damage) are common, and obesity and fatty acids may affect their risks. We studied 88,571 people over 13.7 years to see how belly fat, also termed abdominal obesity (measured by the ratio of waist over hip circumference) and blood fatty acids relate to microvascular diseases risk. We found that higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids lowered microvascular diseases risk, while saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids raised it. For people with abdominal obesity, n-3 PUFAs were especially protective. These findings suggest that public health strategies should emphasize the intake of n-3 fatty acids and the management of belly fat, particularly for individuals at risk of microvascular diseases. Shi, Yu et al. examine the associations of abdominal obesity and plasma fatty acids with microvascular diseases risk in the UK Biobank cohort. Authors find that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are associated with a lower risk, whereas saturated- and monounsaturated- fatty acids are associated with an increased risk.