Composition of Dietary Fatty Acids and Health Risks in Japanese Youths.

Masayuki Okuda,Aya Fujiwara,Satoshi Sasaki

doi:10.3390/nu13020426

Abstract

In the overall composition of dietary fatty acids (FAs), the quantity of each FA is interrelated with that of others. We examined the associations between dietary FA composition and cardiometabolic risk in Japanese youths. Risk factors (anthropometric characteristics, serum lipid and liver enzyme levels, and blood pressure) were measured in 5485 junior-high-school students. Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. The mean saturated FA (SFA), monounsaturated FA (MUFA), omega-6 polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs), and omega-3 PUFAs intake were 9.6%E, 10.3%E, 6.3%E, and 1.1%E, respectively. In compositional regression analysis controlled for confounders, a high intake of omega-6 PUFAs relative to others was associated with low low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol levels (LDL-C; p = 0.003), and relative SFA intake was associated with high levels of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (p = 0.019). Relative omega-3 PUFAs intake was associated with low blood pressure (p = 0.005–0.034) but had unfavorable effects on adiposity and alanine transaminase. Substitutional models showed similar results for omega-6 PUFAs on LDL-C, but MUFA had inconsistent effects on risk factors. The results from the compositional data analysis were consistent with previous studies and clinical practice/knowledge. Focusing on increasing omega-6 PUFAs in Japanese youths could have favorable consequences in the long term.

Highlights

Fat has a high-energy density and, is likely to increase total energy intake.evidence regarding high fat intake as the cause of obesity remains scarce
It is not possible to determine through studies that examine pair-wise substitution, e.g., saturated fatty acids (SFA) with omega-6 polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs), whether preferable health effects are associated with a decrease in SFA or an increase in PUFAs
Omega-3 PUFAs showed the largest variations with other fatty acids

Summary

Introduction

Fat has a high-energy density and, is likely to increase total energy intake.evidence regarding high fat intake as the cause of obesity remains scarce. Based on the number of carbon-carbon double bonds, nutritional fatty acids are classified into saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Several dietary guidelines focus on the effects of various fatty acids rather than on total fat intake [1,2]. In a meta-analysis among adults, the iso-caloric substitution of SFA for PUFAs decreased the incidence of cardiovascular disease [4]. Increasing the intake of omega-6 PUFAs is reported to have beneficial health effects in a meta-analysis that compared substitutional models between SFA and carbohydrates [5]. It is not possible to determine through studies that examine pair-wise substitution, e.g., SFA with omega-6 PUFAs, whether preferable health effects are associated with a decrease in SFA or an increase in PUFAs

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