Abstract
Trans-fatty acid contents of blood serum from healthy female university students (15 persons), adipose tissues obtained surgically (13 specimens) and regular meals of the university refectory (for 18 days) were measured. In almost all samples analyzed, t-octadecenoate was the prototype of trans-fatty acids and small amounts of tc-or ct-octadecadienoate were detected. Adipose tissue contained trans-fatty acids less than 5% of total fatty acids (mean value 2.5%). Though the students were fed the same meal until blood withdrwal, there were predictable differences in the contents of trans-fatty acids, ranging 1.5-8.3% (mean value 4%). The trans-fatty acid contents of refectory regular meals averaged 1.5% (range 0.7-3.6%) and daily intake was being estimated to be 0.8g. It seems that intake of trans-fatty acids and hence the extent of trans-fatty acid deposition in the body are considerably low in Japanese as compared with those of Western populations.
