title: Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is inversely related to development of adiposity in school-age children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Studies in adults indicate that dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) composition may play a role in development of adiposity. Because adipocyte quantity is established between late childhood and early adolescence, understanding the impact of PUFAs on weight gain during the school-age years is crucial to developing effective interventions.
  
  
  METHODS
  We quantified N-3 and N-6 PUFAs in serum samples of 668 Colombian schoolchildren aged 5-12 years at the time of recruitment into a cohort study, using gas-liquid chromatography. Serum concentrations of N-3 (alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid) and N-6 PUFAs (linoleic acid, gamma-linolenic acid, dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid, arachidonic acid) were determined as percentage total fatty acids. Children's anthropometry was measured annually for a median of 30 months. We used mixed-effects models with restricted cubic splines to construct population body mass index-for-age z-score (BAZ) growth curves for age- and sex-specific quartiles of each PUFA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  N-3 ALA was inversely related to BAZ gain after adjustment for sex, baseline age and weight status, as well as household socioeconomic level. Estimated BAZ change between 6 and 14 years among children in the highest quartile of ALA compared with those in the lowest quartile was 0.45 (95% confidence interval: 0.07, 0.83) lower (P-trend=0.006).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  N-3 ALA may be protective against weight gain in school-age children. Whether improvement in PUFA status reduces adiposity in pediatric populations deserves evaluation in randomized trials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Perng
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Villamor
authors.affiliation: Fundación para Investigación en Nutrición y Salud, FINUSAD, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mora-Plazas
authors.affiliation: Fundación para Investigación en Nutrición y Salud, FINUSAD, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marin
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baylin
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity / Q000187:drug effects; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003105:Colombia; D004032:Diet; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects*; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid / Q000097:blood* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D005227:Fatty Acids; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid