Jensen PN, Fretts AM, Hoofnagle AN, et al. - In order to determine if the length of the saturated fatty acid carried by the ceramide or their sphingomyelin precursors are related to the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), researchers performed this study among CHS (Cardiovascular Health Study) participants. Of 4,206 participants without prevalent AF at baseline, a total of 1,198 incident AF cases were selected during a median 8.7 years of follow-up. The 8 sphingolipid species that were assessed in this study included ceramide and sphingomyelin species with palmitic acid and species with very-long-chain saturated fatty acids: arachidic; behenic; and lignoceric. Findings revealed the link of several ceramide and sphingomyelin species with incident AF, and the reported links varied depending on the fatty acid. Increased AF risk related to ceramides and sphingomyelins with palmitic acid was reported, whereas, reduced AF risk was identified in relation to ceramides and sphingomyelins with very-long-chain saturated fatty acids.