title: Associations of Erythrocyte Fatty Acids in the De Novo Lipogenesis Pathway with Proxies of Liver Fat Accumulation in the EPIC-Potsdam Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Biomarker fatty acids (FAs) reflecting de novo lipogenesis (DNL) are strongly linked to the risk of cardiometabolic diseases. Liver fat accumulation could mediate this relation. There is very limited data from human population-based studies that have examined this relation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between specific FAs in the DNL pathway and liver fat accumulation in a large population-based study.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a subsample (n = 1,562) of the EPIC-Potsdam study, which involves 27,548 middle-aged men and women. Baseline blood samples have been analyzed for proportions of 32 FAs in erythrocyte membranes (determined by gas chromatography) and biomarker concentrations in plasma. As indicators for DNL, the DNL-index (16:0 / 18:2n-6) and proportions of individual blood FAs in the DNL pathway were used. Plasma parameters associated with liver fat content (fetuin-A, ALT, and GGT) and the algorithm-based fatty liver index (FLI) were used to reflect liver fat accumulation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The DNL-index tended to be positively associated with the FLI and was positively associated with GGT activity in men (p for trend: 0.12 and 0.003). Proportions of 14:0 and 16:0 in erythrocytes were positively associated with fetuin-A, whereas 16:1n-7 were positively associated with the FLI and GGT activity (all p for trends in both sexes at least 0.004). Furthermore, the proportion of 16:1n-7 was positively related to fetuin-A in women and ALT activity in men (all p for trend at least 0.03). The proportion of 16:1n-9 showed positive associations with the FLI and GGT activity in men and fetuin-A in both sexes, whereas 18:1n-7 was positively associated with GGT activity in men (all p for trend at least 0.048).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings from this large epidemiological study suggest that liver fat accumulation could link erythrocyte FAs in the DNL pathway to the risk of cardiometabolic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Nuthetal, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Germany.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Nuthetal, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jäger
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.affiliation: German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Germany; Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetology, Nephrology, Vascular Disease, and Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital of the Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany; Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Centre Munich at the University of Tübingen (IDM), Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peter
authors.affiliation: German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Germany; Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetology, Nephrology, Vascular Disease, and Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital of the Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany; Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Centre Munich at the University of Tübingen (IDM), Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stefan
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Nuthetal, Germany.
authors.forename: Heiner
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Boeing
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Nuthetal, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Nuthetal, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Germany.
authors.forename: Janine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kröger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D050155:Lipogenesis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase; D000410:Alanine Transaminase