- Title
- Association between erythrocyte omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels and fatty liver index in older people is sex dependent
- Creator
- Rose, Meagan; Veysey, Martin; Lucock, Mark; Niblett, Suzanne; King, Katrina; Baines, Surinder; Garg, Manohar L.
- Relation
- ARC.LP0883378 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP0883378
- Relation
- Journal of Nutrition and Intermediary Metabolism Vol. 5, p. 78-85
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jnim.2016.04.007
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2016
- Description
- Background/Objectives: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is highly prevalent in older people but currently no specific drugs are available for its treatment. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3PUFA), known for their lipid-lowering, anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertensive properties, may have therapeutic potential for the management of NAFLD. The aim of this study was to determine whether n-3PUFA levels are associated with the prevalence of NAFLD in older adults. Methods: A cross-sectional sample of older adults aged 65–95 years (n = 620) from the Retirement Health and Lifestyle Study (RHLS) was analysed. Fatty Liver Index (FLI) scores, used as an indicator of NAFLD risk, were calculated using a validated algorithm that incorporates body mass index, waist circumference, plasma triglycerides and γ-glutamyl transferase. Omega-3 index scores (O3I, %eicosapentaenoic acid plus %docosahexaenoic acid) were determined by analysing the fatty acid composition of erythrocyte membranes by gas chromatography. Results: Following application of exclusion criteria, 475 participants were included in the analysis (age 77.9 ± 7.0 years; 60.4% females). Of these, 216 participants had FLI scores (≥60) suggestive of NAFLD (age 77.0 ± 6.6 years; 49.1% females). O3I was significantly lower in participants with NAFLD compared to those without NAFLD (p < 0.01). A significant inverse relationship was found between O3I and FLI (r = −0.165; p < 0.001). This relationship was gender specific with women, but not men, showing a significant association (r = −0.206; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The current study demonstrated a sex-dependent inverse relationship between erythrocyte n-3PUFA concentrations and NAFLD in older adults. The finding supports the proposal for sex-stratified n-3PUFA intervention trials in this high-risk age group.
- Subject
- n-3polyunsaturated fatty acids; omega-3 index; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; fatty liver index; older adults; metabolic syndrome
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1345518
- Identifier
- uon:29661
- Identifier
- ISSN:2352-3859
- Rights
- © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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