EFFECTS OF A SUPPLEMENTATION WITH LONG-CHAIN POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS (LCPUFA) IN HYPERPHENYLALANINEMIC (HPA) CHILDREN

Abstract

1 Treated HPA children show low levels of LCPUFA, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, or 22:6n-3), in circulating lipids. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial we have investigated the biochemical effects of a dietary LCPUFA supplementation in a group of treated HPA children. Twenty HPA subjects (11 males, 9 females, mean age 10.5, SD 2.5, years) randomly allocated into two groups (comparable for age and gender distribution) received 0.5 g fat caps/4 kg weight. Fat caps provided either 26% fatty acids (FA) as LCPUFA (γ-linolenic acid, 18:3n-6, = 4.6%, arachidonic acid, AA or 20:4n-6, = 7.4%, eicosapentaenoic acid, 20:5n-3, = 5.5%, DHA = 8%) or olive oil. Blood samples were obtained at starting (baseline) and after 12-month supplementation. Blood total cholesterol, TC, triglycerides, TG, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL-C, were measured by enzymatic methods; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL-C, was derived with the Friedewald formula. The composition of FA methyl esters (wt%) of plasma lipid classes (phospholipids, PL, cholesterol esters, CE, triglycerides, TG) and erythrocyte lipids (phosphatydilcholine, PC, and phosphatydilethanolamine, PE) has been measured with capillary gas-chromatography. Statistics: non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon). At the end of the trial the LCPUFA group did not show any significant change of the blood lipoprotein pattern, apart from a mild trend towards higher TC, HDL-C and LDL-C levels. Supplemented HP As showed higher DHA values (P≤0.05) but no changes of AA vs the values at baseline and the values of controls in all the lipid fractions (plasma PL, CE and TG; erythrocyte PC and PE). A balanced supplementation of LCPUFA in treated HPA children does not result in any major modification of the blood lipid pattern and restores the circulating DHA levels without any adverse effect on the AA status.