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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Apr 1.
Published in final edited form as: Nutr Cancer. 2013;65(3):410–416. doi: 10.1080/01635581.2013.760744

Table 1.

Mean PUFA composition in erythrocytes

Fatty Acids (wt %) mean (SD)
n-6 PUFAs
Total n-6 a 38.3 (2.6)
  18:2n-6 (LA) 15.8 (2.4)
  20:4n-6 (AA) 16.1 (1.9)
n-3 PUFAs
Total n-3 b 7.9 (2.0)
  18:3n-3 (ALA) 0.2 (0.1)
  20:5n-3 (EPA) 0.9 (0.4)
  22:6n-3 (DHA) 4.5 (1.5)
6:3 PUFA Ratios
  Total n-6:n-3 5.2 (1.5)
  LA:ALA 72.8 (19.5)
  AA:EPA 21.7 (8.9)
  AA:EPA+DHA 3.3 (1.2)

NOTE: N=248. Data are expressed as mean (SD). Fatty acids are reported as a percentage by weight of the total fatty acids (weight percent, wt %). PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acid; n-6, omega-6; LA, linoleic acid; AA, arachidonic acid; n-3, omega-3; ALA, alpha-linolenic acid; EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid; and DHA, docosahexaenoic acid.

a

18:2n-6+18:3n-6+20:2n-6+20:3n-6+20:4n-6+22:4n-6+22:5n-6

b

18:3n-3+20:4n-3+20:5n-3+22:5n-3+22:6n-3