Linoleic acid's ulcerative colitis risk

A fatty acid found in red meat, cooking oils and margarines could increase the risk of ulcerative colitis, a study suggests. Patients who consumed between 12 and 37g daily of dietary linoleic acid, an n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, had more than twice the risk of ulcerative colitis as those who consumed 2-8g daily, the study found. The higher the intake of linoleic acid the more the risk increased, the study of more than 200,000 adults found. An increasing dietary intake of omega 3 was found to be protective against ulcerative colitis, with a daily intake of between 0.33g and 2g of the fatty acid associated with a 77% decreased risk of the disease. The link between linoleic acid and ulcerative colitis was plausible, the authors said, as the acid was metabolised to arachidonic acid, and metabolites of arachidonic acid had pro-inflammatory properties and were found in increased levels in the mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis. Almost a third of cases of ulcerative colitis might be attributed to the high intake of linoleic acid, they said. “If the positive association is causal, then there is substantial potential for reducing the incidence of ulcerative colitis through dietary modification,” the authors said. Dr Jacinta Tobin, gastroenterologist from the clinical school at the Royal Melbourne and Western Hospital, said while it was too early to recommend dietary modification, the ratio of n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturates might be associated with the increased risk. “It may be that as n-3 intake decreases, that n-6 becomes a problem,” she said. Gut 2009; online. Australian Doctor...