High levels of saturated very long-chain fatty acid (hexacosanoic acid; C26:0) in whole blood are associated with metabolic syndrome in Japanese men

ObjectiveHexacosanoic acid (C26:0) is a saturated very long-chain fatty acid and high levels of C26:0 in red blood cells are reported to be closely related with risk factors of atherosclerosis. However, the relationship between absolute levels of C26:0 in whole blood and metabolic syndrome (MS) has not been determined.Materials and methodWe divided 218 consecutive apparently healthy male subjects into an MS group (n = 78) and a non-MS group (n = 140) according to the definition of the International Diabetes Federation. The levels of C26:0 in whole blood were measured by gas liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry.ResultsThe MS group had significantly higher levels of C26:0 than the non-MS group (2.42 ± 0.31 μg/ml vs. 2.25 ± 0.29 μg/ml, P = 0001). There was a significant association between the levels of C26:0 and the number of factors of MS. The levels of C26:0 positively correlated with age, blood pressure, triglyceride and fasting plasma glucose. Multivariate analysis revealed that the level of C26:0 is still an independent variable for the presence of MS after adjustment for age and each criterion of MS.ConclusionThe absolute levels of C26:0 in whole blood appear to be associated with MS independent of its component parts.