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The Percentage of n-3 Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids in Total HUFA as a Biomarker for Omega-3 Fatty Acid Status in Tissues

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Lipids

Abstract

A blood biomarker of omega-3 fatty acid intake and tissue status could serve as a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The percentage of omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acid (HUFA ≥ 20 carbons and ≥3 double bonds) in the total HUFA pool (the n-3 HUFA score) was examined as a potential blood biomarker of omega-3 fatty acids in tissues. The fatty acid composition of total lipid extracts (TLE) and phospholipid (PL) fractions were determined for plasma and erythrocytes samples of human subjects (n = 20) and the n-3 HUFA score and the sum of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were compared. Omega-3 fatty acids in blood and tissues of rats (n = 31) and pigs (n = 48) were also determined and the associations were compared. The n-3 HUFA score is more consistent across plasma and erythrocytes, with strong correlations between TLE and PL in plasma (r = 0.93) and erythrocytes (r = 0.94). The n-3 HUFA score was less variable and blood levels correlated strongly with various animal tissues. The n-3 HUFA score is a useful blood biomarker that does not require the isolation of the PL class thereby supporting high throughput analyses. The strength of association between the n-3 HUFA score and disease risk needs to be examined.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge Norman Salem Jr. and Sun-Young Lim for providing the rat tissue data and Stephen Cunnane for providing pig tissue data. I would like to acknowledge William Lands for inspiring the analysis and concepts presented herein. Ken Stark received salary support and was supported by a Gender and Sex Determinants of Cardiovascular Disease: from Bench to Beyond (GENESIS) Young Investigator salary award.

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  1. The Laboratory of Nutritional and Nutraceutical Research, Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, N2L 3G1

    Ken D. Stark

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  1. Ken D. Stark
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Correspondence to Ken D. Stark.

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Stark, K.D. The Percentage of n-3 Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids in Total HUFA as a Biomarker for Omega-3 Fatty Acid Status in Tissues. Lipids 43, 45–53 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-007-3128-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-007-3128-3

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