Abstract
Objective:
To measure the correlations between habitual intakes of individual n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and their percentages in total plasma fatty acids in a population of adult men and women.
Subjects/Methods:
Two hundred and seventy-six men and 257 women aged 45–60 (men) or 35–60 (women) at baseline, volunteers of the French SU.VI.MAX cohort. Fifteen 24-h record questionnaires were used to estimate the habitual intake of energy, total fat and linoleic, α-linolenic acid, arachidonic, eicosapentaenoic (EPA), n-3 docosapentaenoic (DPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids. Fatty acid composition of fasting plasma total lipids has been determined at baseline.
Results:
Dietary intakes of linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, EPA and DHA were weakly but significantly correlated (0.16<r<0.28, P<0.01) with their respective percentages in plasma total fatty acids in both men and women. No correlation was observed between the plasma levels of α-linolenic acid and its dietary intake, and between the plasma levels of arachidonic acid and long-chain n-3 PUFA and the intakes of their 18-carbon precursors, linoleic and α-linolenic acid, respectively.
Conclusions:
The percentages of linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, EPA and DHA in plasma total fatty acids, but not that of α-linolenic acid, are acceptable markers of their habitual levels of intake. The plasma levels of long-chain n-6 and n-3 PUFA are not influenced by the intake levels of their precursors, linoleic and α-linolenic acids.
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Contributors: PA conceived the study, realized the food composition table for lipids and PUFA, and wrote the first draft of the manuscript; FL managed the plasma fatty acid analyses; SB, NA and CE processed the dietary intake data and performed the statistical analyses; SH, PG and AF were at the origin and contributed to the management of the SU.VI.MAX cohort study. All authors contributed to the final version of the manuscript.
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Astorg, P., Bertrais, S., Laporte, F. et al. Plasma n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids as biomarkers of their dietary intakes: a cross-sectional study within a cohort of middle-aged French men and women. Eur J Clin Nutr 62, 1155–1161 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602836
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602836
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