title: Low serum eicosapentaenoic acid / arachidonic acid ratio in male subjects with visceral obesity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Visceral fat accumulation is caused by over-nutrition and physical inactivity. Excess accumulation of visceral fat associates with atherosclerosis. Polyunsaturated fatty acids have an important role in human nutrition, but imbalance of dietary long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially low eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) / arachidonic acid (AA) ratio, is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The present study investigated the correlation between EPA, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), AA parameters and clinical features in male subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study subjects were 134 Japanese with diabetes, hypertension and/or dyslipidemia who underwent measurement of visceral fat area (eVFA) by the bioelectrical impedance method and serum levels of EPA, DHA and AA. EPA/AA ratio correlated positively with age, and negatively with waist circumference and eVFA. Stepwise regression analysis demonstrated that age and eVFA correlated significantly and independently with serum EPA/AA ratio. Serum EPA/AA ratio, but not serum DHA/AA and (EPA+DHA)/AA ratios, was significantly lower in subjects with eVFA ≥100 cm2, compared to those with eVFA <100 cm2 (p=0.049). Subjects with eVFA ≥100 cm2 were significantly more likely to have the metabolic syndrome and history of cardiovascular diseases, compared to those with eVFA <100 cm2 (p<0.001, p=0.028, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Imbalance of dietary long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (low serum EPA/AA ratio) correlated with visceral fat accumulation in male subjects.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  UMIN000002271.
authors.affiliation: Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. kkishida@imed2.med.osaka-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Kana
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kishida
authors.forename: Ayumu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Funahashi
authors.forename: Iichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shimomura