title: Association between serum fatty acid composition and innate immune markers in healthy adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) has been shown to generally decrease levels of innate immune markers and inflammatory cytokines, but the specific associations between blood levels of PUFAs and those of innate immune markers have not been investigated. Thus, the present study was conducted to test the hypothesis that innate immune markers as well as cytokines are negatively associated with n-3 PUFAs but positively associated with n-6 PUFAs in healthy adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred sixty-five healthy Korean adults aged 25-70 years old were included in this cross-sectional study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum levels of n-3 PUFAs, such as 18:3n3, 20:5n3, 22:5n3, and 22:6n3 were negatively correlated with eosinophil and basophil counts and TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-10 levels. Multivariate analysis also showed that serum levels of n-3 PUFAs were negatively associated with monocyte, eosinophil, and basophil counts and TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-12 levels. Additionally, the ratio of 20:4n6 to 20:5n3 was positively correlated with eosinophil counts and associated with TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-4 levels. However, NK cell activity was not associated with serum fatty acid composition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Innate immune markers such as eosinophil, monocyte, and basophil counts were inversely associated with serum levels of n-3 PUFAs, but were positively associated with the 20:4n6/20:5n3 ratio in this population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Nutrition, Hanyang University, Wangsimni-ro 222, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 04763, South Korea.
authors.forename: Eunyu
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Nutrition, Hanyang University, Wangsimni-ro 222, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 04763, South Korea.
authors.forename: Yongsoon
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Park
keywords: Cytokine; adult; fatty acid; immune marker; serum