title: Serum Trans Fatty Acids Are Not Associated with Weight Gain or Linear Growth in School-Age Children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Animal and human adult studies indicate that long-term intake of trans fatty acids (TFAs) may be associated with weight gain. High intake of fast foods and snacks, which are rich in TFAs, is linked to overweight status among school-age children. However, the specific effects of TFAs in this population are unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We examined whether serum TFAs, used as biomarkers of intake, are associated with faster weight gain and linear growth during school years.
  
  
  METHODS
  We quantified TFAs by GLC in serum samples of 668 children aged 5-12 y at the time of recruitment into an ongoing cohort study performed in Bogota (Colombia) since 2006. Serum proportions of trans palmitoleic acid (16:1t), trans oleic acid (18:1t), trans linoleic acid (18:2t), and total TFAs were used as biomarkers of intake. Anthropometric characteristics were measured periodically for a median of 30 mo. Body mass index-for-age z scores (BAZs) and height-for-age z scores (HAZs) were calculated with the use of the WHO reference. We estimated mean changes in BAZs and HAZs over follow-up according to quartiles of each TFA at baseline by using mixed-effects regression models with restricted cubic splines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Proportions of trans palmitoleic acid, trans oleic acid, trans linoleic acid, and total TFAs (mean ± SD, % of total serum FAs), were 0.22 ± 0.06, 0.91 ± 0.37, 0.96 ± 0.27, and 2.10 ± 0.59, respectively. Serum TFAs were not associated with changes in BAZs and HAZs after adjusting for sex, baseline age, and socioeconomic status. In a subgroup analysis by sex, serum trans palmitoleic acid was positively associated with the estimated change in HAZs from ages 6 to 14 y in boys (with use of the first quartile as the reference, differences in HAZs for trans palmitoleic acid quartiles were 0.73, 0.53, and 0.70, P-trend = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Proportions of serum TFAs, used as biomarkers of TFA intake, were not associated with weight gain in children aged 6-14 y in low- and middle-income populations in Bogota. The proportion of trans palmitoleic acid was positively associated with linear growth in boys. Longer follow-up and studies in diverse cohorts with wider ranges of TFA intake are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI; abaylin@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baylin
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA; and.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Perng
authors.affiliation: Foundation for Research on Nutrition and Health (FINUSAD), Bogota, Colombia.
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mora-Plazas
authors.affiliation: Foundation for Research on Nutrition and Health (FINUSAD), Bogota, Colombia.
authors.forename: Constanza
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marin
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI;
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Villamor
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003105:Colombia; D005229:Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D019787:Linoleic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D019301:Oleic Acid / Q000097:blood; D062410:Snacks; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D044242:Trans Fatty Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood*; D015430:Weight Gain
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005229:Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated; D044242:Trans Fatty Acids; C008757:palmitoleic acid; D019301:Oleic Acid; D019787:Linoleic Acid
keywords: linear growth; longitudinal study; overweight; school-age children; trans fatty acids