American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 20, 13-23, Copyright © 1967 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Fatty Acid Composition of Human Adipose Tissue Related to Age, Sex, and Race

¹ From the Department of Medicine and Division of Biometry, University Hospitals and Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio

The fatty acid composition of subcutaneous adipose tissue of the anterior abdominal wall has been determined in 107 Negro and Caucasian individuals evenly distributed regarding sex, race, and age, 11-78 years. These urban American individuals died unexpectedly and at necropsy showed a spectrum of degenerative disease and sepsis. The patterns of fatty acids were remarkably similar in all groups. Minor effects due to sex, race, age, and relative body weight were observed. Men had more stearic acid than women. Caucasians had more lauric, myristic, myristoleic, palmitoleic, and four trace acids, and less stearic acid than Negroes. The proportion of palmitic acid was maximal in the 5th and 6th decades. Oleic acid increased approximately linearly with age. Greater body weight was associated with lower proportions of myristic and stearic acids. Significant association in the proportions of acids was observed among lauric, myristic, and myristoleic, between myristic and myristoleic, between myristic and oleic, between palmitoleic and stearic, and between palmitoleic and oleic. Diet appears to be the dominant factor determining the fatty acid pattern, with the relatively small effects of age and possibly sex superimposed.

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