Plasma fatty acid profiles: Relationships with sex, age, and state-reported heart disease mortality rates in the United States.

Background: Fatty acids (FA) play an important role in health and heart disease risk.

Objective: We evaluated relationships of plasma FA levels, especially omega-3 FA, with sex, age, and reported heart disease mortality rates by state in a very large clinical population.

Methods: Plasma FA were measured by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry after lipid extraction in 1,169,621 fasting United States subjects grouped according to sex (56.