Erythrocyte Membrane Phospholipid Composition as a Biomarker of Dietary Fat

Vol. 50, No. 2, 2006

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Original Paper

Erythrocyte Membrane Phospholipid Composition as a Biomarker of Dietary Fat
Barbara J. Fuhrman^a, Maddalena Barba^{a, b}, Vittorio Krogh^c, Andrea Micheli^d, Valeria Pala^c, Rossella Lauria^b, Veronique Chajes^e, Elio Riboli^f, Sabina Sieri^c, Franco Berrino^c, Paola Muti^{a, g}

^aDepartment of Social and Preventive Medicine, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, N.Y., USA;
^bDepartment of Endocrinology and Medical Oncology, Federico II Medical School of Naples, Naples,
^cUnita' Operativa di Epidemiologia, and
^dUnità di Epidemiologia Descrittiva e Programmazione Sanitaria, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Milan, Italy;
^eLaboratoire de Biologie des Tumeurs, Universite R. Rabelais, Tours, and
^fUnit of Nutrition and Cancer, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France;
^gNational Cancer Institute Regina Elena, Rome, Italy

Address of Corresponding Author

Ann Nutr Metab 2006;50:95-102 (DOI: 10.1159/000090496)

Key Words

Erythrocyte membrane
Dietary fatty acids
Biomarker

Abstract

Background/Aims: In a cross-sectional study, we investigated the relationship between erythrocyte membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition and dietary fat; we also investigated roles of menopausal status, age, body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in interindividual variation of the biomarker. Methods: Study participants were 204 women, aged 39-65 years, drawn from the ORDET cohort and selected as controls in a study of breast cancer. Membrane composition was assessed using capillary gas chromatography. Dietary fat composition was evaluated using a food frequency questionnaire. Results: In pre- and postmenopausal women, erythrocyte membrane phospholipid levels of linoleic acid, oleic acid, and mono-unsaturated fatty acids were significantly associated with corresponding dietary measures (partial correlation coefficients: 0.23 and 0.39; 0.45 and 0.47; 0.40 and 0.48; respectively, in pre- and postmenopausal women). Among postmenopausal women, membrane poly-unsaturated fatty acids were correlated with the corresponding dietary measure (r = 0.39, p < 0.001). Membrane eicosapentanoic and docosahexanoic acid levels were significantly correlated with intake of fish/shell fish : r = 0.21 and r = 0.43 (premenopausal), and r = 0.41 and r = 0.44 (postmenopausal). Age, BMI and WHR had independent effects on membrane lipid composition. Age was associated with delta-6 desaturase activity in postmenopausal women (r = 0.25, p < 0.05). BMI was negatively associated with delta-9 desaturase activity in both pre- and postmenopausal women (r = -0.29, p = 0.01 and r = -0.22, p < 0.01, respectively). WHR was negatively associated with delta-5 desaturase activity in pre-menopausal women (r = -024, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Erythrocyte membrane levels of some specific fatty acids can be used as biomarkers of these fatty acids as proportions of dietary fat.

Author Contacts

Dr. P. Muti
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine
270 Farber Hall, SUNY Buffalo
Buffalo, NY 14214 (USA)
Tel. +1 716 829 2975, Fax +1 716 829 2979, E-Mail muti@buffalo.edu

Article Information

Received: November 26, 2004
Accepted: April 18, 2005
Published online: December 21, 2005
Number of Print Pages : 8
Number of Figures : 1, Number of Tables : 4, Number of References : 22

Medline Abstract (ID 16373991)

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