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This Article Full Text (Publish Ahead of Print[PDF]) All Versions of this Article: 90/1/49    most recent ajcn.2008.26761v1 Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted 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 Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Motoyama, K. R Articles by Sekikawa, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Motoyama, K. R Articles by Sekikawa, A. Agricola Articles by Motoyama, K. R Articles by Sekikawa, A.

Association of serum n–6 and n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids with lipids in 3 populations of middle-aged men^1,2,3

¹ From the Department of Epidemiology, the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (KRM, AE-S, RWE, KS-T, DE, LHK, JC, NK, TO, and AS); the Pacific Health Research Institute, Honolulu, HI (JDC, BLR, BJW); Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan (TK, TO, AK, SK, and HU); Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA (RDA); Kyoto Women's University, Kyoto, Japan (YN); and Korea University College of Nursing, Seoul, South Korea (JC).

² Supported by grant nos. R01-HL068200 and R01-HL071561 from the National Institutes of Health and grant nos. B 16790335 and A 13307016 from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.

³ Address reprint requests to KR Motoyama, Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, 130 North Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15261. E-mail: kayrei{at}gmail.com. Address correspondence to A Sekikawa, Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, 130 North Bellefield Avenue, Suite 546, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. E-mail: akira{at}pitt.edu.

ABSTRACT

Background: The association of serum polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) with lipids in different populations is not known.

Objective: Our aim was to examine the association of serum n–6 (omega-6) or n–3 (omega-3) PUFAs with triglycerides or HDL-cholesterol concentrations in 261 white, 285 Japanese, and 212 Japanese American men aged 40–49 y.

Design: We used a population-based cross-sectional study. Of the original sample (n = 926), those taking lipid-lowering medications or who had diabetes (n = 168) were excluded. Serum fatty acids were analyzed by capillary gas-liquid chromatography. Multiple regression models as a function of tertile groups of each PUFA were used.

Results: Serum n–6 PUFAs were significantly inversely associated with triglycerides across populations after adjustment for age, body mass index, pack-years of smoking, and ethanol consumption [β = –0.39 (P < 0.001), –0.38 (P < 0.001), and –0.33 (P < 0.001) in whites, Japanese, and Japanese Americans, respectively]. Marine n–3 PUFAs were significantly inversely associated with triglycerides across populations [β = –0.15 (P < 0.001), –0.22 (P < 0.001), and –0.13 (P < 0.001) in whites, Japanese, and Japanese Americans, respectively]. n–6 PUFAs were significantly positively associated with HDL cholesterol in whites (β = 4.49, P < 0.001) and Japanese (β = 3.73, P < 0.01). Marine n–3 PUFAs were significantly positively associated with HDL cholesterol in Japanese (β = 2.15, P < 0.05), and eicosapentaenoic acid was significantly positively associated with HDL cholesterol in whites (β = 2.68, P < 0.01).

Conclusion: Serum n–6 and n–3 PUFAs are inversely associated with triglycerides across populations.

Received for publication July 28, 2008. Accepted for publication April 24, 2009.