Is There a FADS2-Modulated Link between Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Plasma Phospholipids and Polyphenol Intake in Adult Subjects Who Are Overweight?

Manja M Zec,Maja Živković,Aleksandra Stanković,Biljana Pokimica,Maria Glibetic,Irena Krga,Ljiljana Stojković

doi:10.3390/nu13020296

Abstract

Dietary polyphenols promote cardiometabolic health and are linked with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in plasma phospholipids (LC-PUFA). The FADS2 polymorphisms are associated with LC-PUFA metabolism and overweight/obesity. This 4-week study examined the link between polyphenol intake, FADS2 variants (rs174593, rs174616, rs174576) and obesity in 62 overweight adults (BMI ≥ 25), allocated to consume 100 mL daily of either: Aronia juice, a rich source of polyphenols, with 1177.11 mg polyphenols (expressed as gallic acid equivalents)/100 mL (AJ, n = 22), Aronia juice with 294.28 mg polyphenols/100 mL (MJ, n = 20), or nutritionally matched polyphenol-lacking placebo as a control (PLB, n = 20). We analyzed LC-PUFA (% of total pool) by gas chromatography and FADS2 variants by real-time PCR. Four-week changes in LC-PUFA, BMI, and body weight were included in statistical models, controlling for gender and PUFA intake. Only upon AJ and MJ, the presence of FADS2 variant alleles affected changes in linoleic, arachidonic, and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Upon MJ treatment, changes in EPA were inversely linked with changes in BMI (β= −0.73, p = 0.029) and weight gain (β= −2.17, p = 0.024). Only in subjects drinking AJ, the link between changes in EPA and anthropometric indices was modified by the rs174576 variant allele. Our results indicate the interaction between FADS2, fatty acid metabolism, and polyphenol intake in overweight subjects.

Highlights

According to the 2016 estimates, more than 1.9 billion adults representing 39% of the world’s adult population are overweight, and of these, around 650 million are obese [1]
We further examined whether the addition of a variant allele within the three FADS2 polymorphisms modulates anthropometric parameters (Table S5) and the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in plasma phospholipids (LC-polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)) (Table 1) and whether the relationship is further affected by the polyphenol interventional treatments
The main findings of our study demonstrated an inverse relationship between changes in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in plasma phospholipids and changes in body mass index (BMI) and weight gain in the subjects drinking polyphenolrich Aronia juice, which tended to be modified by the presence of the rs174576 variant allele

Summary

Introduction

According to the 2016 estimates, more than 1.9 billion adults representing 39% of the world’s adult population are overweight, and of these, around 650 million are obese [1]. Overweight and obesity are defined as excess fat accumulation that poses a risk to an individual’s health, with body mass index (BMI) greater or equal to 25 kg/m2 indicating overweight and 30 kg/m2 or higher representing obesity [1]. These conditions are linked with dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and hypertension and are a major risk factor for developing inflammation-associated cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and type 2 diabetes as well as some types of cancer, having a high impact on morbidity and mortality [1,2]. Genetic variants in the FADS gene cluster might alter fatty acid profiles, thereby modulating fat metabolism and influencing the development of different diet-related disorders

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