Investigating the relationship between Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and serum Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) levels in adults
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Exposure to PFAS have been associated with adverse human health outcomes. Previous epidemiological study suggests that diet may play a role in mitigating PFAS concentrations in serum. This analysis investigated the impact of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, specifically eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), as potential dietary factors that impact serum PFAS in adults. The data that this analysis used was from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 2013-2018. Participants were selected based on measurement of serum PFAS and EPA and DHA omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids levels. Participants with missing data and those under 20 or over 70 years of age were excluded, and 2814 participants were included in the analysis. NHANES has collected data for 10 different PFAS chemicals and these values were summed in order to obtain total PFAS in serum in the analysis. The mean concentration of EPA in serum was 0.0258gm (0.0246, 0.0269), DHA in serum was 0.0559gm (0.0537, 0.0580) and PFAS in serum was 8.710ng/mL (8.469, 8.952). The linear regression model accounted for several variables including age, sex, education level, and family income to poverty ratio was conducted using SAS software (SAS Studio version 3.8, SAS Institute, Cary, NC). These variables were selected based on their impact on diet, and/or serum PFAS levels. Our analysis found that the levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is positively associated with PFAS levels. Furthermore, we stratified our analysis by various demographic variables such as age, sex, Hispanic/non-Hispanic origin, race, education level, annual household income, and family income to poverty ratio and found significant associations among these demographic stratifications. This analysis suggests that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may be confounded by various demographic data and these factors must be considered when investigating the Omega3 and PFAS relationship. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this abstract are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views or the policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.