Relationship between the n-6/n-3 Ratio in Dietary Fatty Acids and the n-6/n-3 Ratio in Blood Fatty Acids or Whole Blood Aggregation in Young Adult Women

Abstract

The relationship between the n-6/n-3 ratio in dietary fatty acids and the n-6/n-3 ratios in plasma and platelet phospholipids and whole blood aggregation were examined in 50 healthy young adult women. The range of energy intake as fat from ordinary diets in all subjects was 15-40% (average 28%), and the ratio of saturated, mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids was 0.6-1.8: 0.9-2.1: 0.6-1.8 (average 1: 1.3: 1). The n-6/n-3 ratio of fatty acid intake was 3.3-17.8 (average 6.1±3.3), and fatty acid patterns of plasma and platelet phospholipids reflected the fatty acid composition of the diet. The whole blood aggregation pattern was correlated with n-6/n-3 ratios in the diet, plasma and platelet phospholipids. Moreover, when the n-6/ n-3 ratio in the diet was lower, the total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in plasma were significantly lower, but the HDL-cholesterol concentration was significantly higher.