Abstract
Our aim was to investigate the associations between erythrocyte fatty acids and the risk of islet autoimmunity in children. The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young Study (TEDDY) is a longitudinal cohort study of children at high genetic risk for type 1 diabetes (n = 8676) born between 2004 and 2010 in the U.S., Finland, Sweden, and Germany. A nested case–control design comprised 398 cases with islet autoimmunity and 1178 sero-negative controls matched for clinical site, family history, and gender. Fatty acids composition was measured in erythrocytes collected at the age of 3, 6, and 12 months and then annually up to 6 years of age. Conditional logistic regression models were adjusted for HLA risk genotype, ancestry, and weight z-score. Higher eicosapentaenoic and docosapentaenoic acid (n − 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) levels during infancy and conjugated linoleic acid after infancy were associated with a lower risk of islet autoimmunity. Furthermore, higher levels of some even-chain saturated (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) were associated with increased risk. Fatty acid status in early life may signal the risk for islet autoimmunity, especially n − 3 fatty acids may be protective, while increased levels of some SFAs and MUFAs may precede islet autoimmunity.
Highlights
Our aim was to investigate the associations between erythrocyte fatty acids and the risk of islet autoimmunity in children
Other types of fatty acid biomarkers, e.g. the odd-chain fatty acids pentadecanoid acid (15:0) and heptadecanoid acid (17:0), as well as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) (18:2n − 7), have been applied as biomarkers of dairy fat[19,20], it is well known that fatty acids are rarely specific for any dietary source and they are often produced endogenously a lso[21,22,23]
Erythrocyte fatty acid composition of infants differed according to breastfeeding status defined as consumption of any breastmilk at the age of 3 or 6 months (Table 3)
Summary
Our aim was to investigate the associations between erythrocyte fatty acids and the risk of islet autoimmunity in children. Other types of fatty acid biomarkers, e.g. the odd-chain fatty acids pentadecanoid acid (15:0) and heptadecanoid acid (17:0), as well as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) (18:2n − 7), have been applied as biomarkers of dairy fat[19,20], it is well known that fatty acids are rarely specific for any dietary source and they are often produced endogenously a lso[21,22,23] This is the case especially for the largest pool of fatty acids on cell membranes, the even-chain saturated fatty acids (SFA). The aim of the current study was to evaluate the associations of erythrocyte fatty acid composition during infancy and childhood with the different types of islet autoimmunity. Our hypothesis was that the long-chain n − 3 PUFAs are associated with reduced risk
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