Table 6.
Fatty acid composition (% by weight) in red blood cell membranes
| Baseline (mean ± SE) | Low-fat diet (mean ± SE) | p1 | Habitual diet (mean ± SE) | p2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 41) | (n = 41) | (n = 8) | |||
| C14:0 | 0.38 ± 0.07 | 0.36 ± 0.07 | 0.84 | 0.40 ± 0.04 | 0.81 |
| C14:1 | 0.23 ± 0.18 | 0.39 ± 0.07 | <0.01 | 0.45 ± 0.14 | 0.35 |
| C15:0 | 0.22 ± 0.04 | 0.20 ± 003 | 0.69 | 0.19 ± 0.03 | 0.56 |
| C16:0 | 23.59 ± 1.31 | 23.71 ± 1.44 | 0.95 | 22.6 ± 1.31 | 0.60 |
| C16:1 | 0.22 ± 0.07 | 0.30 ± 0.10 | <0.01 | 0.32 ± 0.04 | 0.24 |
| C18:0 | 12.15 ± 0.81 | 12.04 ± 0.85 | 0.92 | 14.07 ± 0.51 | <0.05 |
| C18:1 | 17.04 ± 1.07 | 17.44 ± 1.25 | <0.05 | 18.68 ± 0.43 | 0.18 |
| C18:2n-6 | 12.20 ± 1.53 | 10.56 ± 2.13 | <0.01 | 10.56 ± 0.86 | 0.36 |
| C18:3n-6 | 0.04 ± 0.04 | 0.04 ± 0.03 | 1.0 | 0.03 ± 0.02 | 1.0 |
| C18:3n-3 | 0.19 ± 0.06 | 0.18 ± 0.06 | 0.91 | 0.22 ± 0.06 | 0.73 |
| C18:4n-3 | 0.02 ± 0.02 | 0.02 ± 0.02 | 1.0 | 0.10 ± 0.02 | <0.05 |
| C20:0 | 0.20 ± 0.15 | 0.16 ± 0.07 | 0.81 | 0.05 ± 0.02 | <0.05 |
| C20:1 | 0.31 ± 0.14 | 0.23 ± 0.07 | <0.01 | 0.23 ± 0.04 | 0.59 |
| C20:2n-6 | 0.13 ± 0.12 | 0.02 ± 0.02 | <0.01 | 0.21 ± 0.06 | <0.05 |
| C20:3n-6 | 1.43 ± 0.34 | 1.25 ± 0.27 | <0.01 | 1.34 ± 0.23 | 0.83 |
| C20:4n-6 (AA) | 12.96 ± 1.28 | 11.98 ± 1.55 | <0.01 | 12.16 ± 1.21 | 0.66 |
| C20:3n-3 | 0.01 ± 0.02 | 0.01 ± 0.01 | 1.0 | 0.01 ± 0.01 | 1.0 |
| C20:4n-3 | 0.05 ± 0.04 | 0.05 ± 0.03 | 1.0 | 0.05 ± 0.05 | 1.0 |
| C20:5n-3 (EPA) | 0.80 ± 0.35 | 2.64 ± 0.62 | <0.01 | 2.27 ± 0.4 | P < 0.05 |
| C22:0 | 1.15 ± 0.31 | 0.76 ± 0.19 | <0.05 | 0.00 ± 0.00 | <0.01 |
| C22:1 | 0.99 ± 1.00 | 0.44 ± 0.16 | <0.01 | 0.43 ± 0.33 | 0.60 |
| C22:2n-6 | 0.10 ± 0.07 | 0.10 ± 0.04 | 1.0 | 0.00 ± 0.00 | <0.01 |
| C22:4n-6 | 3.08 ± 0.59 | 2.39 ± 0.53 | <0.01 | 2.11 ± 0.44 | 0.21 |
| C22:5n-6 | 0.33 ± 0.26 | 0.38 ± 0.66 | 0.94 | 0.02 ± 0.03 | 0.26 |
| C22:5n-3 | 2.25 ± 0.44 | 3.74 ± 0.72 | <0.01 | 3.70 ± 0.46 | 0.07 |
| C22:6n-3 (DHA) | 4.37 ± 1.09 | 6.91 ± 1.03 | <0.01 | 6.08 ± 1.04 | <0.05 |
| C24:0 | 1.74 ± 1.30 | 1.89 ± 1.33 | 0.94 | 1.47 ± 0.16 | <0.01 |
| C24:1 | 3.78 ± 2.42 | 1.93 ± 0.45 | <0.01 | 2.59 ± 0.46 | <0.05 |
| Saturated | 39.44 ± 2.30 | 39.12 ± 1.71 | 0.91 | 38.75 ± 1.81 | 0.82 |
| MUFA | 22.58 ± 3.13 | 20.73 ± 1.48 | 0.59 | 21.04 ± 1.41 | <0.05 |
| PUFA | 37.97 ± 2.71 | 40.13 ± 2.61 | <0.01 | 39.94 ± 2.95 | 0.63 |
| n-3 | 7.63 ± 1.61 | 13.57 ± 1.96 | <0.01 | 12.03 ± 1.62 | <0.05 |
| n-6 | 30.20 ± 2.38 | 26.40 ± 2.14 | <0.01 | 26.41 ± 1.90 | 0.23 |
| n-3:n-6 | 0.25 ± 0.02 | 0.51 ± 0.02 | <0.01 | 0.46 ± 0.007 | <0.05 |
| AA/EPA | 19.01 ± 7.77 | 4.86 ± 1.74 | <0.01 | 5.30 ± 1.04 | 0.10 |
Data are expressed as a percentage of total fatty acids ± standard error. p1, significance of paired t-test of baseline vs. after low-fat diet, p2, significance of paired t-test of after low-fat diet vs. after habitual diet