Korean J Psychosom Med.  2019 Dec;27(2):181-190. 10.22722/KJPM.2019.27.2.181.

Association between Omega Fatty Acid Intake and Suicidality : Sex Differences in the General Korean Population

• Hur YI
• Lee JH

• KMID: 2470707
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.22722/KJPM.2019.27.2.181

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Epidemiological studies in other countries show that a low intake of omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) increases the risk of depression or suicidality. However, no studies have investigated the associations of suicidality with omega-3 FAs in Korea. Hence, this cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the effects of omega FAs on suicidality in the general South Korean population.
METHODS
The data in this study were sourced from adults (n=215,860) who completed the Sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VI), and the associations between omega FAs and suicidality were analyzed using multivariate logistic regressions.
RESULTS
Our results demonstrated that high omega-3 FA intake was associated with a decreased risk of suicide (OR=0.83, 95% CI : 0.71-0.98) and the high omega-6 to omega-3 FA ratio was associated with an increased risk of suicide (OR=1.25, 95% CI : 1.02-1.54). Additionally, a high intake of omega-3 FAs was associated with a decreased risk of suicide in men, but not in women (OR=0.72, 95% CI : 0.59-0.88).
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, our findings suggest that a lower intake of omega-3 FA is associated with the increased risk of suicidality in the general Korean population, especially in men.

Keyword

Suicide; Depression; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; Omega-3-fatty acid; Omega-6-fatty acid

MeSH Terms

Adult
Cross-Sectional Studies
Depression
Epidemiologic Studies
Fatty Acids, Omega-3
Fatty Acids, Unsaturated
Female
Humans
Korea
Logistic Models
Male
Nutrition Surveys
Sex Characteristics*
Suicide
Fatty Acids, Omega-3
Fatty Acids, Unsaturated