Why carry out this study?

Sepsis is a significant threat to global health and patient safety, and identifying potential risk factors for sepsis is crucial in mitigating its incidence and associated mortality rates.

Although many observational studies have reported a positive correlation between polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and sepsis, the causal relationship has not been firmly established.

Our study aimed to undertake the Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to scrutinize the potential causalities of PUFAs on the risk of sepsis and sepsis-related mortality.

What was learned from the study?

This study is the first to examine the causal relationship between PUFAs and the risk of sepsis and mortality using an MR approach.

Genetically predicted omega-3 and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were suggestively associated with a lower risk of sepsis. Moreover, the genetically predicted DHA was also suggestively associated with a decreased risk of sepsis mortality. Conversely, the ratio of omega-6:3 was suggestively associated with a higher risk of sepsis mortality.

Overall, our findings underscore the significance of PUFAs in evaluating sepsis and mortality risk, which may offer potential opportunities for personalized preventive strategies.