Higher DHA Levels May Help Support Lung Health

Interstitial lung disease is an inflammatory disease which causes progressive scarring of lung tissue. A new study has found that higher levels of DHA may lower the risk of hospitalization and death due to interstitial lung disease.

For their study, the researchers used data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis which included 6,573 participants with interstitial lung disease. They analyzed the data to look at associations between circulating levels of DHA and hospitalization or death due to interstitial lung disease. The researchers also used data from the MESA, Framingham Heart Study), and Age Gene/Environment Susceptibility Study to look at the association between DHA levels and CT scan lung abnormalities.

Participants with higher levels of DHA were found to have a reduced risk of hospitalization and death compared to those with lower levels. Participants with higher DHA levels were also found to have less interstitial lung abnormalities compared to those with lower levels.

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Virginia. It was published online ahead of print on August 17, 2020 in the American Journal of Epidemiology.