Table 2.
Mean (SE) and frequency (%) of baseline characteristics by plasma phospholipid n-3 FA category,* MESA, N = 5,697
| Characteristic | Low n-3 category** (n = 4,399) | High n-3 category** (n = 1,304) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| n-3 FAs, mean (SE)* | 3.9 (0.02) | 7.5 (0.03) | <0.001 |
| EPA, % total | 0.64 (0.01) | 1.79 (0.02) | <0.001 |
| DHA, % total | 3.25 (0.01) | 5.71 (0.03) | <0.001 |
| Age, years, mean (SE) | 61.3 (0.2) | 63.0 (0.3) | <0.001 |
| Sex, n (% women) | 2,313 (53) | 744 (59) | 0.005 |
| Race, n (%) | |||
| Black | 1,056 (24) | 405 (31) | <0.001 |
| Chinese | 352 (8) | 352 (27) | <0.001 |
| Hispanic | 1,012 (23) | 156 (12) | <0.001 |
| White | 1,979 (45) | 391 (30) | <0.001 |
| Education, n (%) | |||
| Less than HS | 763 (17) | 174 (14) | 0.002 |
| HS graduate | 818 (19) | 204 (15) | 0.003 |
| Some college | 1,292 (29) | 333 (26) | 0.04 |
| College graduate | 770 (18) | 250 (18) | 0.83 |
| Graduate school | 750 (17) | 343 (27) | <0.001 |
| Current smoking, n (%) | 653 (15) | 92 (8) | <0.001 |
| Current alcohol use, n (%) | 1,820 (43) | 573 (38) | <0.001 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 28.2 (0.1) | 27.3 (0.1) | <0.001 |
| Waist circumference, cm | 97.8 (0.2) | 94.9 (0.4) | <0.001 |
| hs-CRP, mg/dL | 3.8 (0.1) | 3.1 (0.1) | <0.001 |
| Glucose, mg/dL | 89.7 (0.2) | 89.5 (0.3) | 0.59 |
| Insulin, mU/L | 9.7 (0.1) | 8.9 (0.2) | <0.001 |
Adjusted for age, sex, race, education, and field center.
*n-3 FAs = EPA + DHA.
**Low n-3 FA category <75th percentile; high n-3 FA category ≥75th percentile. HS, high school.