TABLE 4.
Spearman correlations (ρ) of fold change in colonic PGE2 concentrations with changes in bacterial diversity measures and colonic FAs in healthy volunteers supplemented with ω-3 FAs1
| Change variable2 | Number of observations | Correlation coefficient, ρ |
|---|---|---|
| θYC index | ||
| Biopsy | 38 | 0.263 |
| Brush | 45 | 0.141 |
| Inverse Simpson Index | ||
| Biopsy | 45 | −0.002 |
| Brush | 45 | −0.503* |
| Shannon Index | ||
| Biopsy | 38 | 0.045 |
| Brush | 45 | −0.400* |
| EPA:AA | 47 | −0.442* |
*Significant after correction for false discovery rates, P < 0.020. AA, arachidonic acid; EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid; PGE2, prostaglandin E2; post, post-supplementation; pre, pre-supplementation; θ-YC, Yue and Clayton community dissimilarity index.
For biopsy and brush θYC, the change variable is the θYC dissimilarity index between pre and post paired samples. The other change variables shown are the post-supplementation value minus the baseline value; percentage change was not used because very low baseline EPA-to-AA ratios result in a large percentage change despite a modest absolute change.