Correlations of the Parameters of Carbohydrate Metabolism and Saturated Fatty Acids in the Blood Serum of Elderly People

Abstract

The study involved 106 elderly people of the Arctic aged 61-74 years, 42 of them were residents of the Subarctic region (SR) and 64 residents of the Arctic region (AR). Using gas-liquid chromatography there was determined the serum content of saturated fatty acids (SFA): short-chain (SCFA), medium-chain (MCFA) and long-chain (LCFA); and the levels of carbohydrate metabolism parameters were determined by spectrophotometric methods. Correlation analysis showed that elderly people of SR had no significant interrelationships between the contents of SCFA, MCFA and LCFA, since all the correlation dependences were weak (r=0,2-0,29, p=0,08-0,786), against AR with a lower occurrence of high values of glucose (Glu), lactate (Lac) and low pyruvate (Pyr). In AR, with the highest occurrence of high and low values of GIu, the greatest number of its interrelations was noted with LCFA (palmitic, margarine, stearic, behenic, tricosanoic), then with MCFA (myristic, pentadecanoic) and SCFA (pelargonic), low values of Pyr with MCFA (lauric, myristic, ∑MCFA) and SCFA (decanoic), and a slight decrease in the occurrence of high levels of Lac and Lac/Pyr with LCFA (palmitic, margarine, stearic, tricosanoic), MCFA (lauric, tridecanoic) and SCFA (caproic, capric).