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  • Original Article
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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

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 62, pages 1155–1161 (2008)Cite this article

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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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité Nutrition et Régulation Lipidique des Fonctions Cérébrales (NuRéLiCe), INRA, Centre de Recherche de Jouy, Jouy-en-Josas, France

    P Astorg

  2. UMR INSERM 557/INRA/CNAM/Paris 13 Epidémiologie Nutritionnelle, Centre de Recherche en Nutrition Humaine Ile-de-France, Université Paris 13, Bobigny, France

    S Bertrais, N Arnault, C Estaquio, P Galan & S Hercberg

  3. Département de Biologie Intégrée, Unité Fonctionnelle de Biologie Nutritionnelle et du Stress Oxydant, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Grenoble, France

    F Laporte & A Favier

Authors
  1. P Astorg
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  2. S Bertrais
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  3. F Laporte
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  4. N Arnault
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  5. C Estaquio
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  6. P Galan
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  7. A Favier
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  8. S Hercberg
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to P Astorg.

Additional information

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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