Essential fatty acids of normal and atherosclerotic aortas from chickens receiving differently saturated fats for three years.

Abstract

SINCLAIR'S suggestion1 that atherogenesis may be associated with a relative essential fatty acid deficiency has received considerable attention in many laboratories. On the basis of fatty acid analyses of atheromatous plaques, several investigators have concluded that Sinclair's hypothesis is not substantiated2,3. Very recently, Sinclair4 has joined issue with those who drew these conclusions by suggesting that the fatty acid analytical techniques employed do not differentiate between the essential fatty acids (linoleic and arachidonic) and non-essential fatty acids of similar unsaturation. Although in the present study no attempt was made to differentiate between linoleic and arachidonic acid on one hand, and other di- and tetra-enoic acids on the other, the results herein presented may contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between essential fatty acids and plaque formation.