Suicide Attempt and n-3 Fatty Acid Levels in red Blood Cells: a Case Control Study in China

The authors recruited 100 individuals who had attempted suicide & 100 control patients injured by accidents. Cases & controls were matched for age, gender, & smoking status. Blood was sampled immediately after admission to hospital. Washed red blood cells were obtained & the fatty acid composition of the total red blood cells phospholipid fraction was analyzed by gas chromatography. When the highest & lowest quartiles of eicosapentaenoic acid in red blood cells were compared, the odds ratio of suicie attempt was .12 in the highest quartile after adjustment for possible confounding factors. Findings suggest that low n-3 fatty acid levels in tissues were a risk factor for attempted suicide. (52 refs.) JA