Essential fatty acid intake and serum fatty acid composition among adolescent girls in central Mozambique.

Many African diets are low in fat but are currently changing because of nutrition transition. We studied fat and fatty acid (FA) intake and the essential fatty acid (EFA) status of adolescent girls (aged 14-19 years, n 262) in Zambezia Province, central Mozambique. A cross-sectional study was carried out in a city as well as in the towns and rural villages of a coastal and an inland district.

Indices of fatty acid desaturase activity in healthy human subjects: effects of different types of dietary fat.

Δ9-Desaturase (stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1, SCD-1) regulates the desaturation of SFA, mainly stearic and palmitic, to MUFA. Δ6-Desaturase (D6D) and Δ5-desaturase (D5D) are involved in the metabolism of linoleic and α-linolenic acid to polyunsaturated metabolites. The objective of the present study was to study the effects of different types of dietary fat on indices of fatty acid desaturase (FADS) activity (evaluated as product:precursor ratios) in plasma and skeletal muscle in human subjects.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated essential fatty acids are associated with depression in adolescents with eating disorders and weight loss.

Aim: To study the relationship between polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) status and depression in adolescents with eating disorders (ED) and weight loss.

Methods: Erythrocyte membranes from 217 adolescents (209 girls, eight boys) with ED were analysed for fatty acids (FA). ED and depression were diagnosed by clinical interviews and supported by self-report instruments.

Dairy products and metabolic effects in overweight men and women: results from a 6-mo intervention study.

Background: Some epidemiologic studies have suggested inverse relations between intake of dairy products and components of the metabolic syndrome.

Objective: The objective was to investigate the effects of an increased intake of dairy products in persons with a habitually low intake on body composition and factors related to the metabolic syndrome.

Design: Middle-aged overweight subjects (n = 121) with traits of the metabolic syndrome were recruited in Finland, Norway, and Sweden and randomly assigned into milk or control groups.

Whole-grain foods do not affect insulin sensitivity or markers of lipid peroxidation and inflammation in healthy, moderately overweight subjects.

High intakes of whole grain foods are inversely related to the incidence of coronary heart diseases and type 2 diabetes, but the mechanisms remain unclear. Our study aimed to evaluate the effects of a diet rich in whole grains compared with a diet containing the same amount of refined grains on insulin sensitivity and markers of lipid peroxidation and inflammation. In a randomized crossover study, 22 women and 8 men (BMI 28 +/- 2) were given either whole-grain or refined-grain products (3 bread slices, 2 crisp bread slices, 1 portion muesli, and 1 portion pasta) to include in their habitual daily diet for two 6-wk periods.

Fatty acid composition of skeletal muscle reflects dietary fat composition in humans.

Background: It is still unknown whether the fatty acid composition of human skeletal muscle lipids is directly influenced by the fat composition of the diet.

Objective: We investigated whether the fatty acid composition of the diet is reflected in the fatty acid profile of skeletal muscle phospholipids and triacylglycerols.

Design: Thirty-two healthy adults (25 men and 7 women) included in a larger controlled, multicenter dietary study were randomly assigned to diets containing a high proportion of either saturated fatty acids (SFAs) [total fat, 36% of energy; SFAs, 18% of energy; monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), 10% of energy] or MUFAs (total fat, 35% of energy; SFAs, 9% of energy; MUFAs, 19% of energy) for 3 mo.