Suicide attempt and n-3 fatty acid levels in red blood cells: A case control study in china

Huan, Mingming; Hamazaki, Kei; Sun, Yueji; Itomura, Miho; Liu, Hongyan; Kang, Wei; Watanabe, Shiro; Terasawa, Katsutoshi; Hamazaki, Tomohito

doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2004.06.028

« Previous Next »Biological Psychiatry
Volume 56, Issue 7 , Pages 490-496, 1 October 2004

Suicide attempt and n-3 fatty acid levels in red blood cells: A case control study in china

Mingming Huan
- Division of Clinical Application (MH, KH, MI, SW, TH), Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Natural Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sugitani, Toyama-City, Japan
Kei Hamazaki
- Division of Clinical Application (MH, KH, MI, SW, TH), Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Natural Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sugitani, Toyama-City, Japan
Yueji Sun
- Department of Neuropsychology (YS), Dalian Medical University
Miho Itomura
- Division of Clinical Application (MH, KH, MI, SW, TH), Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Natural Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sugitani, Toyama-City, Japan
Hongyan Liu
- Psychiatry Department (HL), Dalian Friendship Hospital
Wei Kang
- Dalian Blood Component Analysis Center (WK), Dalian-City, Liaoning-Province, China
Shiro Watanabe
- Division of Clinical Application (MH, KH, MI, SW, TH), Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Natural Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sugitani, Toyama-City, Japan
Katsutoshi Terasawa
- University Hospital (KT), Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama-City, Japan
Tomohito Hamazaki
- Division of Clinical Application (MH, KH, MI, SW, TH), Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Natural Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sugitani, Toyama-City, Japan
- Reprint requests to Tomohito Hamazaki, M.D., Ph.D., Division of Clinical Application, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Natural Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama-City, Toyama 930-0194, Japan

Received 19 February 2004; received in revised form 3 June 2004; accepted 25 June 2004. published online 24 August 2004.

Background

Epidemiologic studies show that low fish intake is a risk factor of suicidality; however, there are no case–control studies investigating suicide attempt risk and tissue n-3 fatty acid levels.

Methods

We recruited 100 suicide-attempt cases and another 100 control patients injured by accidents who were admitted to three hospitals affiliated with Dalian Medical University in Dalian, China. Case and control subjects were matched for age, gender, and smoking status. Those who were inebriated at the time of hospitalization were excluded. Blood was sampled immediately after admission to a hospital. Washed red blood cells (RBCs) were obtained, and the fatty acid composition of the total RBC phospholipid fraction was analyzed by gas chromatography.

Results

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) levels in RBC in the case subjects were significantly lower than those of the control subjects (.74 ± .52% vs. 1.06 ± .62%, p < .0001). When the highest and lowest quartiles of EPA in RBC were compared, the odds ratios of suicide attempt was .12 in the highest quartile (95% confidence interval: .04–.36, p for trend = .0001) after adjustment for possible confounding factors

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that low n-3 fatty acid levels in tissues were a risk factor of suicide attempt. Further studies including intervention with fish oil are warranted.

Keywords: Docosahexaenoic acid , eicosapentaenoic acid , fatty acid composition , fish intake , phospholipids , suicide attempt