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  • Original Article
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Comparison between omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid intakes as assessed by a food frequency questionnaire and erythrocyte membrane fatty acid composition in young children

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 62, pages 733–738 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

We conducted a dietary validation study in youth aged 1–11 years by comparing dietary intake of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as assessed by a parent-completed semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) over time to erythrocyte membrane composition of the same fatty acids.

Design:

The study population included youth aged 1–11 years who were participants in the Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young (DAISY), a longitudinal study in Denver, Colorado that is following a cohort of youth at risk for developing type I diabetes. Four hundred and four children who had erythrocyte membrane fatty acid data matched to an FFQ corresponding to the same time frame for a total of 917 visits (matches) were included. PUFA intake was expressed both as g/day (adjusted for total energy) and as percent of total fat intake. We used mixed models to test the association and calculate the correlation between the erythrocyte membrane estimates and PUFA intake using all records of data for each youth.

Results:

Intakes of total omega-3 fatty acids (β=0.52, P<0.0001, ρ=0.23) and marine PUFAs (β=1.62, P<0.0001, ρ=0.42), as a percent of total fat in the diet, were associated with percent of omega-3 and marine PUFAs in the erythrocyte membrane. Intakes of omega-6 PUFAs (β=0.04, P=0.418, ρ=0.05) and arachidonic acid (β=0.31, P=0.774, ρ=0.01) were not associated.

Conclusions:

In these young children, an FFQ using parental report provided estimates of average long-term intakes of marine PUFAs that correlated well with their erythrocyte cell membrane fatty acid status.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the dedicated and talented staff of the DAISY study for their clinical data and laboratory support. We are indebted to all the children and their families who generously volunteered their time and knowledge. This research was supported by NIH Grants R01-DK49654, DK32493, and the Diabetes Endocrine Research Center, Clinical Investigation & Bioinformatics Core P30 DK 57516.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO, USA

    H D Orton & J M Norris

  2. Analytical Toxicology Core Laboratory, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    N J Szabo

  3. Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA

    M Clare-Salzler

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  1. H D Orton
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Correspondence to J M Norris.

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Orton, H., Szabo, N., Clare-Salzler, M. et al. Comparison between omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid intakes as assessed by a food frequency questionnaire and erythrocyte membrane fatty acid composition in young children. Eur J Clin Nutr 62, 733–738 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602763

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