title: Eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in whole blood are differentially and sex-specifically associated with cardiometabolic risk markers in 8-11-year-old danish children.
abstract: n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids improve cardiovascular risk markers in adults. These effects may differ between eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20∶5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22∶6n-3), but we lack evidence in children. Using baseline data from the OPUS School Meal Study we 1) investigated associations between EPA and DHA in whole blood and early cardiometabolic risk markers in 713 children aged 8-11 years and 2) explored potential mediation through waist circumference and physical activity and potential dietary confounding. We collected data on parental education, pubertal stage, 7-day dietary records, physical activity by accelerometry and measured anthropometry, blood pressure, and heart rate. Blood samples were analyzed for whole blood fatty acid composition, cholesterols, triacylglycerol, insulin resistance by the homeostatic model of assessment (HOMA-IR), and inflammatory markers. Whole blood EPA was associated with a 2.7 mmHg (95% CI 0.4; 5.1) higher diastolic blood pressure per weight% EPA, but only in boys. Heart rate was negatively associated with both EPA and DHA status (P = 0.02 and P = 0.002, respectively). Whole blood EPA was negatively associated with triacylglycerol (P = 0.003) and positively with total cholesterol, low density and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and HDL:triacylglycerol (all P<0.01) whereas DHA was negatively associated with insulin and HOMA-IR (P = 0.003) and tended to be negatively associated with a metabolic syndrome-score (P = 0.05). Adjustment for waist circumference and physical activity did not change the associations. The association between DHA and HOMA-IR was attenuated but remained after adjustment for fiber intake and none of the other associations were confounded by dietary fat, protein, fiber or energy intake. This study showed that EPA status was negatively associated with triacylglycerol and positively with cholesterols whereas DHA was negatively associated with insulin resistance, and both were inversely associated with heart rate in children. The sex-specific associations with blood pressure confirm our previous findings and warrant further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Camilla T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Damsgaard
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Maj B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Eidner
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Ken D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Stark
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Mads F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Hjorth
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sjödin
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark.
authors.forename: Malene R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutrition, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Søborg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Rikke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutrition, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Søborg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tetens
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Arne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Astrup
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Kim F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Michaelsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lotte
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lauritzen
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure; D001835:Body Weight; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000097:blood*; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D002784:Cholesterol; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid