Adult Medication-Free Schizophrenic Patients Exhibit Long-Chain Omega-3 Fatty Acid Deficiency : Implications for Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Abstract EN

Deficiency in long-chain omega-3 (LCn − 3) fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n − 3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n − 3), has been implicated in the pathoetiology of cardiovascular disease, a primary cause of excess premature mortality in patients with schizophrenia (SZ).

In the present study, we determined erythrocyte EPA + DHA levels in adult medication-free patients SZ (n=20) and age-matched healthy controls (n=24).

Erythrocyte EPA + DHA composition exhibited by SZ patients (3.5%) was significantly lower than healthy controls (4.5%, −22%, P=0.007).

The majority of SZ patients (72%) exhibited EPA+DHA levels ≤4.0% compared with 37% of controls (Chi-square, P=0.001).

In contrast, the omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n−6) (+9%, P=0.02) and the AA:EPA + DHA ratio (+28%, P=0.0004) were significantly greater in SZ patients.

Linoleic acid (18:2n−6) was significantly lower (−12%, P=0.009) and the erythrocyte 20:3/18:2 ratio (an index of delta6-desaturase activity) was significantly elevated in SZ patients.

Compared with same-gender controls, EPA + DHA composition was significantly lower in male (−19%, P=0.04) but not female (−13%, P=0.33) SZ patients, whereas the 20:3/18:2 ratio was significantly elevated in both male (+22%, P=0.008) and female (+22%, P=0.04) SZ patients.

These results suggest that the majority of SZ patients exhibit low LCn − 3 fatty acid levels which may place them at increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.