Dataset Information

Perinatal depression and omega-3 fatty acids: a Mendelian randomisation study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There have been numerous studies investigating the association between omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) and depression, with mixed findings. We propose an approach which is largely free from issues such as confounding or reverse causality, to investigate this relationship using observational data from a pregnancy cohort.

Methods

The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort collected information on FA levels from antenatal blood samples and depressive symptoms at several time points during pregnancy and the postnatal period. Conventional epidemiological analyses were used in addition to a Mendelian randomisation (MR) approach to investigate the association between levels of two omega-3 FAs (docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)) and perinatal onset depression, antenatal depression (AND) and postnatal depression (PND).

Results

Weak evidence of a positive association with both EPA (OR=1.07; 95% CI: 0.99-1.15) and DHA (OR=1.08; 95% CI: 0.98-1.19) with perinatal onset depression was found using a multivariable logistic regression adjusting for social class and maternal age. However, the strength of association was found to attenuate when using an MR analysis to investigate DHA.

Limitations

Pleiotropy is a potential limitation in MR analyses; we assume that the genetic variants included in the instrumental variable are associated only with our trait of interest (FAs) and thus cannot influence the outcome via any other pathway.

Conclusions

We found weak evidence of a positive association between omega-3 FAs and perinatal onset depression. However, without confirmation from the MR analysis, we are unable to draw conclusions regarding causality.

SUBMITTER: Sallis H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4101243 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Perinatal depression and omega-3 fatty acids: a Mendelian randomisation study.

Sallis Hannah H Steer Colin C Paternoster Lavinia L Davey Smith George G Evans Jonathan J

Journal of affective disorders 20140509

<h4>Background</h4>There have been numerous studies investigating the association between omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) and depression, with mixed findings. We propose an approach which is largely free from issues such as confounding or reverse causality, to investigate this relationship using observational data from a pregnancy cohort.<h4>Methods</h4>The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort collected information on FA levels from antenatal blood samples and depressive sym ...[more]

PMID: 25012420

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Project description:Aims/hypothesisEpidemiological data on the associations of circulating fatty acid levels with type 2 diabetes are inconsistent. We conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomisation study to explore the causal associations of plasma levels of ten fatty acids with type 2 diabetes and glycaemic traits.MethodsThirteen SNPs associated with circulating levels of ten individual fatty acids at the genome-wide significance level (p < 5 × 10-8) were selected as instrumental variables for the exposures. For the outcomes, summary-level data were obtained from the DIAbetes Genetics Replication And Meta-analysis (DIAGRAM) consortium for type 2 diabetes (898,130 individuals) and from the Meta-Analyses of Glucose and Insulin-related traits Consortium (MAGIC) for the glycaemic traits (up to 46,186 non-diabetic individuals). The inverse-variance weighted method was used for analyses.ResultsGenetic predisposition to higher plasma levels of eight of the ten fatty acids were statistically significantly associated with lower or higher odds of type 2 diabetes. The OR per one SD increment of each fatty acid was 0.93 (95% CI 0.90, 0.96; p = 2.21 × 10-5) for α-linolenic acid, 0.96 (95% CI 0.94, 0.98; p = 1.85 × 10-4) for linoleic acid, 0.86 (95% CI 0.81, 0.91; p = 6.68 × 10-7) for palmitoleic acid, 0.87 (95% CI 0.81, 0.93; p = 2.21 × 10-5) for oleic acid, 1.08 (95% CI 1.03, 1.12; p = 0.002) for eicosapentaenoic acid, 1.04 (95% CI 1.02, 1.07; p = 0.001) for docosapentaenoic acid, 1.03 (95% CI 1.02, 1.05; p = 2.51 × 10-5) for arachidonic acid and 1.09 (95% CI 1.03, 1.15; p = 0.003) for stearic acid. The same eight fatty acids were also associated with fasting glucose levels and HOMA-B. The associations, except that for palmitoleic acid, were driven by variants in FADS1/2.Conclusions/interpretationGenetic predisposition to higher circulating levels of eight out of ten fatty acids was associated with type 2 diabetes, fasting glucose and islet beta cell function. However, the associations, except that for palmitoleic acid, were driven by variants in FADS1/2, which encode enzymes with a key role in fatty acid metabolism.

Dataset Information

Perinatal depression and omega-3 fatty acids: a Mendelian randomisation study.

Background

Methods

Results

Limitations

Conclusions

Publications

Perinatal depression and omega-3 fatty acids: a Mendelian randomisation study.

Similar Datasets

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