Plasma fatty acids profile and the metabolic syndrome in a Dutch general population
What is it about?
We have investigated the role of a broader fatty acids profile and estimated desaturase activities in both plasma phospholipids and triglycerides fraction in relation to the metabolic syndrome in a general population. As previous studies have only incorporated few fatty acids and only in one plasma fraction.
Why is it important?
Our results indicated the importance of monitoring individual plasma fatty acids and desaturase activities as novel modifiable biomarkers for the metabolic syndrome. Meanwhile, we demonstrated the heterogeneous effect of fatty acids from the same saturation level on the metabolic syndrome. Simply pooling individual FA into structural groups such as omega-6 PUFA, omega-3 PUFA, or total SAFA and drawing generalized conclusions about their effects on metabolic health will mislead policy makers and the public.