DHA and EPA in red blood cell membranes are associated with dietary intakes of omega-3-rich fish in healthy children

Colleen A Parks; Neil R Brett; Sherry Agellon; Paula Lavery; Catherine A Vanstone; Jonathon L Maguire; Frank Rauch; Hope A Weiler

doi:10.1016/j.plefa.2017.08.003

DHA and EPA in red blood cell membranes are associated with dietary intakes of omega-3-rich fish in healthy children

Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2017 Sep:124:11-16. doi: 10.1016/j.plefa.2017.08.003. Epub 2017 Aug 14.

Authors

Colleen A Parks¹, Neil R Brett¹, Sherry Agellon¹, Paula Lavery¹, Catherine A Vanstone¹, Jonathon L Maguire², Frank Rauch³, Hope A Weiler⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Human Nutrition, McGill University, Ste Anne de Bellevue, QC, Canada.
² Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics and Nutritional Sciences, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
³ Shriners Hospital for Children, Department of Pediatrics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
⁴ School of Human Nutrition, McGill University, Ste Anne de Bellevue, QC, Canada. Electronic address: hope.weiler@mcgill.ca.

PMID: 28870372
DOI: 10.1016/j.plefa.2017.08.003

Abstract

Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) are important in child development. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the associations between dietary intakes of n-3 LCPUFA and red blood cell (RBC) n-3 LCPUFA in young children. Healthy children, (2-8y) underwent RBC fatty acid profiling. Dietary intakes were parent-reported over 6 mo using three 24h dietary intake assessments and three 30 d food frequency questionnaires (FFQ). Participants (n = 49, 5.6 ± 1.9y), were 59% male, and had a body mass index (BMI) z-score of 0.65 ± 0.84. Dietary n-3 LCPUFA intakes were not different over time. RBC docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) positively correlated with average DHA from the 24h recalls. RBC DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) positively correlated with average n-3 LCPUFA-rich fish intake from the FFQ. RBC appear to reflect long-term stable intakes of n-3 LCPUFA during growth in healthy young children.

Keywords: Children; Diet; Fish; Food frequency questionnaire; Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids; Red blood cells.

MeSH terms

Animals
Child
Child, Preschool
Dietary Fats / metabolism*
Dietary Fats, Unsaturated / metabolism
Docosahexaenoic Acids / metabolism*
Eicosapentaenoic Acid / metabolism*
Erythrocyte Membrane / metabolism*
Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / metabolism*
Female
Fishes
Humans
Male

Substances

Dietary Fats
Dietary Fats, Unsaturated
Fatty Acids, Omega-3
Docosahexaenoic Acids
Eicosapentaenoic Acid