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Association between n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in erythrocytes and metabolic syndrome in Chinese men and women

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Abstract

Purpose

Evidence of an association between n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and metabolic syndrome (MS) is limited and inconsistent. We investigated the association between n-3 PUFAs in erythrocytes and the presence of MS in Chinese adults.

Methods

The levels of α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in erythrocytes were measured using gas chromatography in 3072 participants (900 men and 2172 women) aged 30–75 years from Guangzhou, China. Cardiometabolic factors were determined, and MS was defined using the updated Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Other covariates were collected via interviewer-administered questionnaires.

Results

After adjusting for age and other confounders, higher levels of marine-derived n-3 PUFAs, including EPA, DPA, and DHA, were associated with a lower presence of metabolic syndrome in both men and women. The odds ratios (95 % confidence interval) for MS obtained by comparing extreme quartiles were 0.55 (0.35–0.88) (EPA), 0.54 (0.34–0.87) (DPA), 0.45 (0.27–0.73) (DHA), and 0.52 (0.32–0.84) (total n-3 PUFAs) in men (p trend <0.05 for all results); and 0.74 (0.56–0.99) (EPA), 0.73 (0.55–0.98) (DPA), 0.75 (0.56–1.02) (DHA), and 0.71 (0.53–0.96) (total n-3 PUFAs) in women, respectively. No significant association of ALA with MS was observed (p trend > 0.05).

Conclusion

Higher levels of total n-3 PUFAs, EPA, DPA, and DHA, but not of ALA, in erythrocyte membranes are associated with a lower presence of metabolic syndrome in Chinese adults.

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Acknowledgments

The present study was jointly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81472965, 30872102) and by the 5010 Program for Clinical Researches (No. 2007032) of the Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou, China). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

No conflict of interest was declared.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food, Nutrition and Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, People’s Republic of China

    Xiao-wei Dai, Yu-ming Chen, Fang-fang Zeng, Li-li Sun & Yi-xiang Su

  2. Nanshan Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518052, People’s Republic of China

    Xiao-wei Dai

  3. The Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, People’s Republic of China

    Cao-gang Chen

  4. Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, People’s Republic of China

    Yi-xiang Su

  5. Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, People’s Republic of China

    Yu-ming Chen

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  1. Xiao-wei Dai
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Correspondence to Yu-ming Chen or Yi-xiang Su.

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Dai, Xw., Chen, Ym., Zeng, Ff. et al. Association between n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in erythrocytes and metabolic syndrome in Chinese men and women. Eur J Nutr 55, 981–989 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-0912-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-0912-3

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