Omega-3 Fatty Acids Significantly Associated with A Biomarker of Autoimmune Disease

by | Apr 29, 2025 | 2025, Arthritis, Autoimmune Disease, Fish Oil Supplements, Omega - 3, Recent Articles

Written by Chrystal Moulton, Science Writer. Omega-3 fatty acids were significantly and negatively associated with antinuclear antibody positivity.

wrist painArthritis is an auto-inflammatory disease involving genetic, dietary, lifestyle, and environmental factors1,2. Polyunsaturated fatty acids have long demonstrated anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating effects beneficial to a variety of ailments, including symptoms of arthritis3-5. In order to measure the autoimmune activity in the body, researchers examine antinuclear antibodies which target nuclear components of a cell. Antinuclear antibodies a are sign of dysregulation in the immune system and server as a biomarker for autoimmune disease6,7. To build upon existing knowledge of the pathophysiology of autoimmune diseases like arthritis, researchers need to understand what triggers the release of antinuclear antibodies and what agents can reduce the levels of antinuclear antibodies systemically. In the current study, researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [NHANES] to evaluate any correlation between the presence of antinuclear antibodies and consumption of dietary fatty acids2.

Data from the NHANES between 1999-2004 was used for this evaluation. The primary focus was individuals who reported having arthritis. Individuals who were pregnant, lactating, or missing dietary fatty acid or autoantibody measurements were excluded from this assessment. Dietary fatty acid intake was measured using two 24h dietary recall interviews. Blood samples were also collected from each participant in the survey. Using this sample, researchers measured the level of antinuclear antibody present. Logistical regression models were used to assess any correlation between dietary fat intake and the level of antinuclear antibodies after adjusting for any confounding factors in 3 statistical models.

A total of 829 participants with complete dietary fatty acid and autoimmune antibody measurements were included in this evaluation. Participants were categorized as either antinuclear antibody negative (n=695) or positive (n=134). The average age of volunteers was 59.8years old with 60.9% being women. Baseline data revealed that antinuclear antibody positive individuals tended to have lower levels of omega-3, omega-6, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and monounsaturated fatty acids. They were also more likely to be female and non-smokers. Regression analysis showed that omega-3 intake was negatively associated with antinuclear antibody positivity even after adjusting for all confounding factors (Model 3- OR=0.43, p<0.05). Omega-3 fatty acids were the only fatty acid significantly and negatively associated with antinuclear antibody positivity. Researchers noted that the decrease in the risk of antinuclear antibody positivity was dose-dependent with participants consuming >1.60g/day of omega-3 fatty acids significantly reducing their risk of antinuclear antibody positivity by 57%.

Overall, researchers found that omega-3 fatty acids were significantly and negatively associated with the antinuclear antibody positivity among participants reported to have arthritis in the NHANES between 1999-2004. Additional studies will be needed to verify these findings.

Source: Guo, Jie, Yifei Yu, Jiaqi Su, Fazheng Ren, and Juan Chen. “Dietary Fatty Acids and Antinuclear Antibodies Among Adults with Arthritis in the United States: NHANES 1999–2004.” Nutrients 17, no. 6 (2025): 934.

© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/4.0/).

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Posted April 29, 2025.

Chrystal Moulton BA, PMP, is a 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology with a focus on premedical studies and is a licensed project manager. She currently resides in Indianapolis, IN.

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