title: Effects of dietary fatty-acid supplementation on fatty-acid composition and deformability of young and old erythrocytes.
abstract: The effects of cell age on erythrocyte phospholipid fatty-acid composition and deformability were examined in 20 healthy adults (11 male, 9 female) prior to and following 12 weeks of dietary supplementation with 3.5 g/day of safflower oil (high in n - 6 fatty acids) or fish oil (high in n - 3 fatty acids). In the absence of dietary supplementation, old erythrocytes demonstrated an increase in filtration time (P < 0.001), an increase in membrane phospholipid total n - 6 fatty acids (P < 0.01), and a decrease in total n - 3/total n - 6 ratio (P < 0.01) compared to young erythrocytes. Both safflower and fish oil supplementation attenuated age-related differences in membrane phospholipid total n - 6 and total n - 3 fatty acids. Fish oil supplementation also increased the proportion of n - 3 fatty acids (P < 0.01) and the n - 3/n - 6 ratio (P < 0.05) in the phospholipids of both young and old erythrocytes, and eliminated age-related differences in erythrocyte filtration time by reducing the relative filtration time of the old erythrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Studies, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Galey
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dixon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D048429:Cell Size; D004042:Dietary Fats, Unsaturated / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004905:Erythrocyte Aging; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005395:Fish Oils; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000737:chemistry; D012450:Safflower Oil; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D004042:Dietary Fats, Unsaturated; D005227:Fatty Acids; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D005395:Fish Oils; D010743:Phospholipids; D014867:Water; D012450:Safflower Oil