Plasma Fatty Acid Composition, Estimated Desaturase Activities, and Intakes of Energy and Nutrient in Japanese Men with Abdominal Obesity or Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

SummaryTo examine predictive factors for abdominal obesity or metabolic syndrome, we investigated the association of plasma fatty acid composition, estimated desaturase activity, and nutrient intakes, with abdominal obesity or metabolic syndrome in Japanese males. Clinical characteristics, the fatty acid composition of plasma cholesteryl esters, and energy and nutrient intakes were analyzed in 3 groups: metabolic syndrome (MS, n ϭ 24), abdominal obesity (OB, n ϭ 43), and control ( n ϭ 27). The estimated desaturase activities were calculated by the ratio of 16:1 n-7/16:0, 18:3 n-6/18:2 n-6, and 20:4 n-6/20:3 n-6 in plasma cholesteryl esters as surrogates of the measure of the delta 9, delta 6, delta 5 desaturase (D9-16D, D6D and D5D) activities, respectively. Plasma fatty acid composition did not differ significantly between the OB group and the control group. The MS group had higher levels of palmitoleic, oleic, and ␥ -linolenic acids, but a lower level of linoleic acid than the control. Stronger D6D activity and weaker D5D activity were observed in the OB group. A higher level of D9-16D activity as well as a higher level of D6D activity and a lower level of D5D activity was observed in the MS group. A logistic regression analysis showed that the low D5D activity and high D9-16D activity were predictive of the development of abdominal obesity from controls (odds ratio ϭ 0.39, p Ͻ 0.05) and metabolic syndrome from abdominal obesity (odds ratio ϭ 2.44, p Ͻ 0.05), respectively. In the multiple linear regression analysis, D5D activity positively correlated with the intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). In conclusion, the estimated D5D activity was a predictive factor for abdominal obesity and the estimated D9-16D activity was a predictive factor for developing metabolic syndrome from abdominal obesity in Japanese male subjects. Dietary intake of EPA would play an important role in preventing abdominal obesity and the development of metabolic syndrome. Key Words delta 5 desaturase, delta 9 desaturase, dietary intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), abdominal obesity, metabolic syndrome Metabolic syndrome is a metabolic disorder that results from abdominal obesity. The syndrome includes insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidemia ( 1 ), and is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes ( 2 ). A high intake of fat, particularly fat rich in saturated fatty acids (SFAs), influenced obesity, insulin resistance and the progression of metabolic syndrome ( 3 , 4 ). A high intake of carbohydrate also induced insulin resistance, increased serum triacylglycerol concentrations and decreased serum HDL cholesterol levels ( 5 ). Thus, dietary nutrient intake plays an important role in the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome.The fatty acid composition of cholesteryl esters (CEs) in serum mirrors to a certain extent the dietary fatty acid composition and also reflects endogenous fatty acid metabolism ( 6-9 ). Fatty acid composition is used as an indicator of disease risk, because its alteration has b...

Low levels of linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid and high levels of arachidonic acid in plasma phospholipids are associated with hypertension

“…The spot corresponding to PL was scraped from the plate and transmethylated with 2 ml acetyl chloride: methanol (5:50; v/v) at 90˚C for 2 h. Heptadecanoic acid (17:0) served as an internal standard. FA methyl esters were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography (GC-2014; Shimadzu Corp., Kyoto, Japan) with a 25 m x 0.5 mm capillary column (HR-SS-10; Shinwa Chemical Industries Ltd., Kyoto, Japan) as previously described (28). Statistical analysis.…”

Docosahexaenoic Acid Content in Plasma Phospholipids and Desaturase Indices in Obese Children

“…The plasma phospholipid fraction was used to obtain the desaturase indices in our study because the turnover of plasma phospholipids is slower than that of plasma triglyceride fatty acids and there is minimal day-to-day variation; however, it is controversial which fraction of desaturase indices is most appropriate to [37][38][39][40] . In conclusion, DHA content in plasma phospholipids had a negative association with SCD indices, which may explain the anti-obesity effect of DHA.…”

Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation and cardiovascular disease

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