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Higher Serum EPA or DHA, and Lower ARA Compositions with Age Independent Fatty Acid Intake in Japanese Aged 40 to 79

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Lipids

Abstract

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) are the predominant long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) among membrane phospholipids in the mammalian brain and neural tissues. This cross-sectional study examined age effects on serum eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), DHA, and ARA compositions assessed with reference to dietary intakes among 1,014 Japanese men and 1,028 Japanese women aged 40–79 years. Venous blood was collected early in the morning after at least 12-h fasting. Serum fatty acid (FA) compositions were expressed as molar percentages of the total FA (mol% of total). Diet was assessed using a 3-day dietary record that included photographs. Participants were categorized into groups by sex and age (40–49, 50–59, 60–69, and 70–79 years). Intakes of fish, EPA, and DHA tended to increase with age. Significant positive correlations between serum FA composition and the corresponding weight percentage of total FA intake were observed for EPA and DHA in all sex and age groups, and for ARA among females in their 40s. Serum EPA and DHA compositions were higher, while ARA decreased with age, and these associations remained consistent even after adjusting for corresponding FA intake. These results suggest potential effects of age on differences in blood EPA, DHA, and ARA compositions, independent of corresponding FA intake among community-dwelling Japanese men and women.

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Abbreviations

ALA:

Alpha-linolenic acid

ARA:

Arachidonic acid

DHA:

Docosahexaenoic acid

EPA:

Eicosapentaenoic acid

FA:

Fatty acid(s)

LNA:

Linoleic acid(s)

NILS-LSA:

National Institute for Longevity Sciences Longitudinal Study of Aging

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acid(s)

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Acknowledgments

We wish to express our sincere appreciation to study participants and colleagues in the NILS-LSA for completing the survey for this study. This work was supported in part by grants from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (22790584 to R.O).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department for Development of Preventive Medicine, National Institute for Longevity Sciences, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 36-3 Gengo, Morioka-cho, Obu, Aichi, 474-8511, Japan

    Rei Otsuka, Yuki Kato, Tomoko Imai, Fujiko Ando & Hiroshi Shimokata

  2. Faculty of Human Life and Science, Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts, Kyoto, Japan

    Tomoko Imai

  3. Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Aichi Shukutoku University, Nagakute, Japan

    Fujiko Ando

Authors
  1. Rei Otsuka
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  2. Yuki Kato
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  3. Tomoko Imai
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  4. Fujiko Ando
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  5. Hiroshi Shimokata
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rei Otsuka.

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Otsuka, R., Kato, Y., Imai, T. et al. Higher Serum EPA or DHA, and Lower ARA Compositions with Age Independent Fatty Acid Intake in Japanese Aged 40 to 79. Lipids 48, 719–727 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-013-3763-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-013-3763-9

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