HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Giltay, E. J Articles by Zock, P. L Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Giltay, E. J Articles by Zock, P. L Agricola Articles by Giltay, E. J Articles by Zock, P. L

Docosahexaenoic acid concentrations are higher in women than in men because of estrogenic effects^1,2,3

¹ From the Psychiatric Center GGZ Delfland, Delft, Netherlands (EJG); the Department of Endocrinology, Andrology Unit, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam (LJGG and AWFTT); and the Wageningen Center for Food Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands (MBK and PLZ)

Background: During pregnancy there is a high demand for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is needed for formation of the fetal brain. Women who do not consume marine foods must synthesize DHA from fatty acid precursors in vegetable foods.

Objective: We studied sex differences in DHA status and the role of sex hormones.

Design: First, DHA status was compared between 72 male and 103 female healthy volunteers who ate the same rigidly controlled diets. Second, the effects of sex hormones were studied in 56 male-to-female transsexual subjects, who were treated with cyproterone acetate alone or randomly assigned to receive oral ethinyl estradiol or transdermal 17ß-estradiol combined with cyproterone acetate, and in 61 female-to-male transsexual subjects, who were treated with testosterone esters or randomly assigned for treatment with the aromatase inhibitor anastrozole or placebo in addition to the testosterone regimen.

Results: The proportion of DHA was 15 ± 4% ( ± SEM; P < 0.0005) higher in the women than in the men. Among the women, those taking oral contraceptives had 10 ± 4% (P = 0.08) higher DHA concentrations than did those not taking oral contraceptives. Administration of oral ethinyl estradiol, but not transdermal 17ß-estradiol, increased DHA by 42 ± 8% (P < 0.0005), whereas the antiandrogen cyproterone acetate did not affect DHA. Parenteral testosterone decreased DHA by 22 ± 4% (P < 0.0005) in female-to-male transsexual subjects. Anastrozole decreased estradiol concentrations significantly and DHA concentrations nonsignificantly (9 ± 6%; P = 0.09).

Conclusion: Estrogens cause higher DHA concentrations in women than in men, probably by upregulating synthesis of DHA from vegetable precursors.

Key Words: n–3 Fatty acids • docosahexaenoic acid • estrogen administration • testosterone administration

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. J. Gooren, E. J. Giltay, and M. C. Bunck Long-Term Treatment of Transsexuals with Cross-Sex Hormones: Extensive Personal Experience J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., January 1, 2008; 93(1): 19 - 25. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. C. Poulsen, P. J. Moughan, and M. C. Kruger Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and the Regulation of Bone Metabolism Experimental Biology and Medicine, November 1, 2007; 232(10): 1275 - 1288. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. K. Ozias, S. E. Carlson, and B. Levant Maternal Parity and Diet (n-3) Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Concentration Influence Accretion of Brain Phospholipid Docosahexaenoic Acid in Developing Rats J. Nutr., January 1, 2007; 137(1): 125 - 129. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. A Welch, S. A Bingham, J. Ive, M. D Friesen, N. J Wareham, E. Riboli, and K. Khaw Dietary fish intake and plasma phospholipid n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in men and women in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer-Norfolk United Kingdom cohort Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, December 1, 2006; 84(6): 1330 - 1339. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Levant, M. K. Ozias, and S. E. Carlson Diet (n-3) Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Content and Parity Interact to Alter Maternal Rat Brain Phospholipid Fatty Acid Composition J. Nutr., August 1, 2006; 136(8): 2236 - 2242. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. M. Albert, K. Oh, W. Whang, J. E. Manson, C. U. Chae, M. J. Stampfer, W. C. Willett, and F. B. Hu Dietary {alpha}-Linolenic Acid Intake and Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death and Coronary Heart Disease Circulation, November 22, 2005; 112(21): 3232 - 3238. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. D. Stark, S. Beblo, M. Murthy, M. Buda-Abela, J. Janisse, H. Rockett, J. E. Whitty, S. S. Martier, R. J. Sokol, J. H. Hannigan, et al. Comparison of bloodstream fatty acid composition from African-American women at gestation, delivery, and postpartum J. Lipid Res., March 1, 2005; 46(3): 516 - 525. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]