Associations between intake of fish and n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and plasma metabolites related to the kynurenine pathway in patients with coronary artery disease.
Enhanced tryptophan degradation via the kynurenine pathway has been related to several pathological conditions. However, little is known about the effect of diet on individual metabolites of this pathway. We investigated cross-sectional associations between reported intake of fish and omega-3 (n-3) long-chain PUFA (LC-PUFA) and plasma metabolites related to the kynurenine pathway.
Participants were 2324 individuals with coronary artery disease from the Western Norway B Vitamin Intervention Trial. Fish and n-3 LC-PUFA intakes were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Plasma concentrations of tryptophan, kynurenine, kynurenic acid, anthranilic acid, 3-hydroxykynurenine, xanthurenic acid, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, neopterin, and kynurenine-to-tryptophan ratio (KTR) were analyzed. Associations were investigated using partial Spearman's rank correlations and multiple linear regressions.
Median age at inclusion was 62?years (80?% males), and 84?% had stable angina pectoris. Intake of fatty fish and n-3 LC-PUFA was inversely associated with plasma 3-hydroxykynurenine. Consumption of total fish, lean fish, and n-3 LC-PUFA was inversely associated with plasma neopterin. Intake of total fish, fatty fish, and n-3 LC-PUFA was inversely associated with KTR. All these correlations were weak (? between -0.12 and -0.06, P?