title: Increased linoleic acid/α-linolenic acid ratio in Swedish cord blood samples collected between 1985 and 2005.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cord serum (CS) phospholipid fatty acid composition is associated with maternal diet during foetal life, and maternal intake of linoleic acid (LA, C18:2ω-6) and α-linolenic acid (LNA, C18:3 ω-3) has been shown to influence the LA and LNA levels in CS. A possible connection between the increased incidence of atopic diseases and increased intake of LA and decreased intake of LNA in the Western world has been proposed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to explore phospholipid fatty acid proportions and total IgE levels in CS from Swedish children, collected from 1985 to 2005, a period with increasing frequency of allergic diseases in Sweden, and reveal possible changes over time.
  
  
  METHODS
  Phospholipid fatty acids and total IgE antibodies were analysed with gas chromatography and UniCAP(®) technology, respectively, in 300 CS samples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportions of LA and LNA decreased significantly from 1985 to 2005 (p < 0.001 for both). However, the LA/LNA ratio did increase (p < 0.001), revealing a relatively larger decrease in LNA than in LA. No correlations were found between ω-6 and ω-3 fatty acids and total IgE antibodies in CS from newborn children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The LA/LNA ratio increased (p < 0.001) in cord serum samples collected between 1985 and 2005, and no correlations between fatty acids and total IgE were found.
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. kristina.warstedt@liu.se
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Warstedt
authors.forename: Karel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Duchén
mesh_terms: D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019787:Linoleic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000097:blood; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013548:Sweden; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D010743:Phospholipids; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D019787:Linoleic Acid