New multimorbidity index reveals the importance of fatty acids in the health of the elderly

Multimorbidity, characterized by the simultaneous presence of multiple chronic conditions, currently represents a health and social challenge. This challenge focuses on ensuring that the 'extra' years, achieved thanks to the increase in life expectancy, are lived in good health.

Now, researchers from the Department of Preventive Medicine, Public Health and Microbiology of the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), together with the CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), have proposed a new perspective in the approach to multimorbidity.

Specifically, they have developed a quantitative index that represents the levels of multimorbidity on a scale from 0 to 100 points, replacing the traditional dichotomy of presence or absence of said condition.

To do this, they took into consideration a wide range of chronic diseases and their potential impact on variables such as physical function, an aspect closely related to the aging process.

The influence of the metabolomic profile

Although the impact of sociodemographic determinants on multimorbidity, such as age, gender, and socioeconomic level, is known, there is a growing need to study the influence of the metabolomic profile.

The same investigators had previously analyzed the association between certain amino acids and multimorbidity. In their most recent work, they focused on the study of the association between fatty acids, other lipids, and multimorbidity.

This study included the participation of 1,488 people from the Spanish ENRICA-Seniors 2 cohort, made up of individuals over 65 years of age. Blood samples were collected at two different times to analyze the concentrations of fatty acids and other lipids in a specialized international laboratory.

The study findings, published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A , reveal a correlation between elevated plasma concentrations of omega-6 fatty acids and lower levels of multimorbidity.

Healthy diet

"The results obtained suggest that the metabolomic profile may be linked to multimorbidity. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to these profiles when it comes to preventing the presence of multimorbidity in older people", emphasizes Francisco Félix Caballero, lead author of the study.

"In particular, what we have observed in this study is that higher plasma concentrations of fatty acids reduce the risk of multimorbidity. The results found for other lipids such as phosphoglycerides go in the same direction."

“Finally —adds the researcher—, we must not forget the importance of following healthy lifestyles in our prevention strategies, such as maintaining a quality diet. We have observed that the protective association between higher plasma concentrations of omega-6 fatty acids and lower levels of multimorbidity is strengthened in those who follow a healthy diet."

This innovative work is the result of the collaboration of several co-authors, including Alberto Lana, Ellen Struijk, Lucía Arias-Fernández, Humberto Yévenes-Briones, Juan Cárdenas-Valladolid, José Ramón Banegas, Fernando Rodríguez-Artalejo and Esther López- Garcia.

Image: The challenge is that the extra years gained by increasing life expectancy are lived in good health / Ricardas-Brogys - Unsplash

_____________________

Bibliographic reference:

Caballero, FF, Lana, A., Struijk, EA, Arias-Fernández, L., Yévenes-Briones, H., Cárdenas-Valladolid, J., Salinero-Fort, MA, Banegas, JR, Rodríguez-Artalejo, F. , Lopez-Garcia, E. 2023. Prospective association between plasma concentrations of fatty acids and other lipids, and multimorbidity in older adults. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, glad122 . doi: 10.1093/gerona/glad122