| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966973 | Clinica Chimica Acta | 2008 | 6 Pages |
BackgroundThe present study examines changes in the pattern of plasma free polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) according to menopausal status and the existence of diabetes mellitus (DM) or coronary heart disease (CHD) in Korean women.MethodsThe participants were as follows; premenopausal women (PRE, n = 20) and postmenopausal women without any known chronic disease (POST, n = 35), with DM (DM, n = 35), or with angiographically proven CHD (CHD, n = 30). Plasma free fatty acids were measured in all participants.ResultsHealthy premenopausal women had a higher ratio of ω-3/ω-6 PUFA than postmenopausal women (p = 0.001). As expected, the PRE group had higher docsapentaenoic acid (DPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels (p < 0.05) and lower arachidonic acid levels (p < 0.05) than the POST group. In turn, the healthy POST group had higher levels of DPA and DHA compared to the DM or CHD groups (p < 0.05). There were significant shifts of increased ω-6 and decreased ω-3 among the women, according to each disease.ConclusionsThere was a significant relationship between ω-3 and ω-6 PUFA profiles and risk for CHD in women. This metabolic profile of PUFA might be an important surrogate marker in postmenopausal women.
