Abstract
BackgroundWe reported that the compositions of arachidonic acid (ARA) in erythrocytes and plasma phospholipids (PL) in the elderly were lower than those in the young, though the ARA intake was nearly identical.ObjectiveWe further analyzed data in four study groups with different ages and sexes, and determined that the blood ARA levels were affected by the kinds of dietary fatty acids ingested.MethodsOne hundred and four healthy young and elderly volunteers were recruited. Dietary records together with photographic records from 28 consecutive days were reviewed and the fatty acid composition in plasma lipid fractions and erythrocyte PL was analyzed.ResultsNo correlations for ARA between dietary fatty acids and blood lipid fractions were observed. A significant negative correlation between eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake and ARA composition in erythrocyte PL was observed. ARA composition in erythrocyte PL was significantly lower in elderly subjects than in young subjects, because EPA and DHA intake in elderly subjects was higher than in young subjects. However, after removing the effect of dietary EPA+DHA intake, the ARA composition in erythrocyte PL in elderly subjects was significantly lower than that in young subjects.ConclusionsChanges in physical conditions with aging influenced the low ARA composition of erythrocyte in elderly subjects in addition to the effects of dietary EPA and DHA.
Highlights
We reported that the compositions of arachidonic acid (ARA) in erythrocytes and plasma phospholipids (PL) in the elderly were lower than those in the young, though the ARA intake was nearly identical
Eicosanoids made from ARA are generally more potent mediators of inflammation, vasoconstriction, and platelet aggregation than those made from the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), so a lower intake of vegetable oil containing abundant linoleic acid (LA), the precursor of ARA, has been recommended
Our present study showed that: (1) dietary ARA intakes were not correlated with the composition of ARA in erythrocyte PL, but dietary EPA and/or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intakes were negatively
Summary
We reported that the compositions of arachidonic acid (ARA) in erythrocytes and plasma phospholipids (PL) in the elderly were lower than those in the young, though the ARA intake was nearly identical. Arachidonic acid (ARA), one of the n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), is the predominant fatty acid (FA) of membrane phospholipids (PL) in mammalian brain and neural tissues [1,2]. A recent epidemiological study has indicated that the levels of ARA in blood do not coincide precisely with the incidence of inflammatory diseases [8,9]. The current study found a U-shaped relationship between blood cell ARA content and acute coronary syndrome case status, which means that the odds for this disease tended to be lower in the second and third quartiles as compared with the first and highest quartiles [11]
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