Elsevier

Clinical Nutrition

Volume 33, Issue 1, February 2014, Pages 90-97
Clinical Nutrition

Original article
Plasma fatty acid composition, estimated desaturase activities, and their relation with the metabolic syndrome in a population at high risk of cardiovascular disease

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2013.03.001Get rights and content

Summary

Background & aims

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a clustering of various metabolic abnormalities which is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Due to its increasing prevalence, it has become an important public health concern. Altered fatty acid (FA) composition and desaturase activities have been associated with several metabolic diseases, including MetS. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship of the plasma FA profile and desaturase activities with the MetS in a Mediterranean population at high risk of CVD.

Methods

Baseline data from 427 participants aged 55–80 years who took part in the interventional PREDIMED study were obtained. Individual FA was determined in plasma and desaturase activities were estimated from product/precursor ratios. Odds ratios (OR) and partial correlation coefficients were used to examine these relations with MetS and its components, respectively.

Results

We found higher levels of C14:0, C16:0, C16:1n-7, estimated Δ9- or stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), and estimated Δ6 desaturase (D6D), and lower levels of C18:2n-6 in people with MetS compared to those without it. After adjustment for several confounders, only higher quartiles of C14:0, C16:0, C16:1n-7, and D6D were found to be associated with an increasing prevalence of MetS, while higher quartiles of C18:2n-6 were inversely associated with MetS. High proportions of C14:0, C16:0, C16:1n-7, C20:3n-6, SCD, and D6D, and decreased proportions of C18:2n-6 and estimated Δ5-desaturase (D5D) were associated with adverse profiles of several metabolic risk factors. Women showed more unhealthy FA pattern and lipid profiles than men, but only among those with MetS.

Conclusion

A FA composition and estimated desaturase activities consisting in high levels of SFA, SCD and D6D, and low levels of PUFA and D5D are associated with increased MetS probability and are characteristic of people presenting MetS, especially women. These findings support those observed in non-Mediterranean populations in which an altered FA profile and estimated desaturase activities are associated with MetS.

Introduction

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of interrelated metabolic risk factors in one person1, 2 which increases the risk of developing both cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes. The evidence available indicates that the prevalence of MetS is about 20–30% among adults from developed countries, increases with age, and is rising in relation to increasing obesity, diabetes and sedentary lifestyles.2

Since the predominant underlying risk factors for the pathogenesis of the MetS appear to be abdominal obesity and insulin resistance, environmental factors, such as diet and physical inactivity may play a role in the development of this syndrome.1 In fact, total fat and type of dietary fat consumed have been associated with MetS and its components.3

The assessment of dietary fat composition from different food sources with the use of self-reporting methods is associated with substantial measurement error. Conversely, biomarkers of fatty acid (FA) intake, such as the plasma FA profile, are objective and potentially independent of these errors.4 However, their ability to reflect dietary intake may be affected by non-dietary factors, such as endogenous metabolism, genetics, smoking, and physical activity.4 Thus, several FA can be newly synthesized, elongated or desaturated by three desaturases: Δ9 or stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), Δ6 desaturase (D6D), and Δ5 desaturase (D5D), the activity of which may be estimated using FA product/precursor ratios.5

On the other hand, the FA profile can be used as an indicator of disease risk. The hallmarks for most pathological stages are the increased content of SFA and a lower content of PUFA. In fact, an altered FA profile and estimated activity of desaturases characterized mainly by high proportions of palmitic acid (PA, C16:0), palmitoleic acid (POA, C16:1n-7), dihommo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA, C20:3n-6), SCD and D6D, and decreased levels of linoleic acid (LA, C18:2n-6) and D5D, have been associated with insulin resistance and increased risk to develop diabetes,3 obesity,6 hypertrygliceridemia,7 cardiovascular disease,8 and the development of the MetS.9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

Nonetheless, few studies have investigated the relationship between plasma FA composition, estimated desaturase activities and the MetS. Moreover, to our knowledge, no studies have been conducted in a Mediterranean population. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to analyze for the first time the plasma FA and estimated desaturase activities in relation to MetS status, and to examine the cross-sectional associations between these patterns and the MetS and its components in a Spanish population.

Section snippets

Study design

A cross-sectional study with baseline data from the PREDIMED (PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea) study was performed. The PREDIMED study is a large, randomized, parallel-group, multicenter, controlled, 5-year clinical trial aimed at assessing the effects of the two Mediterranean diets supplemented with either virgin olive oil or mixed nuts compared with a low-fat diet on the primary prevention of CVD (http://www.predimed.org; ISRCTN35739639). The detailed protocol of this study has been

Results

The baseline characteristics of the 427 participants (177 men and 250 women) based on MetS status are described in Table 1. By design, the participants were mostly overweight with an elevated number of CVD risk factors. Of the total population, 92.7%, 84.1%, 68.1%, and 45.9%, were overweight or obese, hypertensive, dyslipidemic, and had type II diabetes, respectively. As expected, most of the characteristics associated with the MetS were significantly higher among those with this syndrome.

Discussion

In the current study, subjects with the MetS showed higher proportions of total SFA and lower levels of total PUFA than those without the MetS. Particularly, the concentrations of MA, PA, and POA in the participants with the MetS were significantly higher and those of LA lower than their counterparts. In contrast, the levels of MUFA and LC-PUFA (AA, EPA, and DHA) showed no significant differences between the two groups. These findings confirm the results of previous studies in which the FA

Conflict of interest

No conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all of the volunteers involved in the PREDIMED study. J.M.P., A.I.C., R.E., M.I.C., M.F., J.S.S., A.M.G., F.A., R.M.L.R. and M.C.L.S. designed research; J.M.P. and M.G. conducted research; J.M.P. analyzed data and wrote the paper; M.C.L.S. had primary responsibility for final content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. This research was supported by national grants from the “Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación” (AGL2008-04124 and AGL2009-09730). CIBEROBN,

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