Table 2.
Red blood cell (RBC) membrane fatty acid (FA) levels in cancer and control groups.
| RBC Membrane FA (% rel) | Unadjusted Control | Unadjusted Cancer | p-Value | Adjusted Control | Adjusted Cancer | p-Value | Difference (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 39) | (n = 45) | (n = 39) | (n = 45) | ||||
| Saturated Fatty Acids | |||||||
| Palmitic acid (16:0) | 24.5 ± 0.4 | 22.6 ± 0.2 | <0.001 | 24.5 ± 0.3 | 22.6 ± 0.3 | <0.001 | −7.5 |
| Stearic acid (18:0) | 19.8 ± 0.3 | 18.2 ± 0.2 | <0.001 | 19.9 ± 0.3 | 18.1 ± 0.3 | <0.001 | −9.2 |
| Monounsaturated Fatty Acids | |||||||
| Palmitoleic acid (16:1; 9c) * | 0.5 ± 0.0 | 0.4 ± 0.0 | 0.002 | 0.5 ± 0.0 | 0.5 ± 0.0 | 0.258 | −10.0 |
| OA (18:1; 9c) * | 16.4 ± 0.3 | 17.4 ± 0.2 | 0.005 | 16.7 ± 0.3 | 17.1 ± 0.2 | 0.283 | 2.6 |
| Cis-vaccenic acid (18:1; 11c *) | 1.2 ± 0.0 | 1.4 ± 0.0 | <0.001 | 1.2 ± 0.0 | 1.5 ± 0.0 | <0.001 | 25.0 |
| Polyunsaturated Acid | |||||||
| LA (18:2 ω-6) | 12.1 ± 0.2 | 12.8 ± 0.2 | 0.035 | 11.8 ± 0.3 | 13.1 ± 0.2 | 0.001 | 11.1 |
| DGLA (20:3 ω-6) * | 1.9 ± 0.1 | 2.0 ± 0.1 | 0.374 | 1.9 ± 0.1 | 2.0 ± 0.1 | 0.186 | 11.1 |
| AA (20:4 ω-6) * | 17.3 ± 0.3 | 18.2 ± 0.2 | 0.017 | 17.1 ± 0.3 | 18.4 ± 0.3 | 0.006 | 7.4 |
| EPA (20:5 ω-3) * | 0.8 ± 0.1 | 0.9 ± 0.1 | 0.076 | 0.8 ± 0.1 | 0.8 ± 0.1 | 0.971 | 0.0 |
| DHA (22:6 ω-3) | 5.4 ± 0.2 | 6.0 ± 0.2 | 0.042 | 5.6 ± 0.2 | 5.8 ± 0.2 | 0.588 | 3.2 |
| Trans Fatty Acids | |||||||
| Trans 18:1 * | 0.2 ± 0.0 | 0.1 ± 0.0 | <0.001 | 0.2 ± 0.0 | 0.1 ± 0.0 | <0.001 | −63.2 |
| Trans 20:4 * | 0.2 ± 0.0 | 0.1 ± 0.0 | <0.001 | 0.2 ± 0.0 | 0.1 ± 0.0 | 0.002 | −44.4 |
| Total Fatty Acids | |||||||
| Total SFA | 44.4 ± 0.6 | 40.8 ± 0.2 | 0.009 | 44.4 ± 0.5 | 40.7 ± 0.4 | <0.001 | −8.3 |
| Total MUFA | 18.1 ± 0.2 | 19.2 ± 0.2 | 0.003 | 18.4 ± 0.3 | 19.0 ± 0.3 | 0.115 | 3.6 |
| Total PUFA | 37.4 ± 0.4 | 39.9 ± 0.3 | <0.001 | 37.1 ± 0.4 | 40.1 ± 0.3 | <0.001 | 7.9 |
| Total omega 6 | 31.3 ± 0.4 | 33.0 ± 0.3 | 0.002 | 30.7 ± 0.4 | 33.5 ± 0.4 | <0.001 | 9.0 |
| Total trans * | 0.4 ± 0.0 | 0.2 ± 0.0 | <0.001 | 0.4 ± 0.0 | 0.2 ± 0.0 | <0.001 | −48.6 |
| Fatty Acid Indexes—Ratios | |||||||
| SFA/MUFA | 2.5 ± 0.1 | 2.1 ± 0.0 | 0.002 | 2.5 ± 0.1 | 2.2 ± 0.1 | 0.001 | −12.2 |
| Unsaturation index | 153.3 ± 1.8 | 164.1 ± 1.1 | <0.001 | 153.7 ± 1.6 | 163.7 ± 1.4 | <0.001 | 6.5 |
| Peroxidation index | 133.2 ± 2.0 | 143.5 ± 1.6 | <0.001 | 134.3 ± 2.0 | 142.5 ± 1.8 | 0.007 | 6.5 |
| Inflammatory risk index * | 5.8± 0.5 | 5.1 ± 0.2 | 0.625 | 5.3 ± 0.4 | 5.5 ± 0.4 | 0.747 | 3.6 |
| PUFA balance | 16.5 ± 0.7 | 17.3 ± 0.6 | 0.337 | 17.4 ± 0.7 | 16.5 ± 0.6 | 0.390 | −5.1 |
| n-3 cardiovascular risk index | 6.1 ± 0.3 | 6.9 ± 0.2 | 0.036 | 6.5 ± 0.3 | 6.6 ± 0.3 | 0.653 | 2.8 |
| Enzymatic Indexes | |||||||
| SCD1 18:0/18:1 * | 1.2 ± 0.0 | 1.1 ± 0.0 | <0.001 | 1.2 ± 0.0 | 1.1 ± 0.0 | 0.003 | −13.1 |
| Δ6D+ELO 20:3/18:2 | 0.1 ± 0.1 | 0.1 ± 0.1 | 0.904 | 0.1 ± 0.1 | 0.1 ± 0.1 | 0.893 | 1.0 |
| Δ5D 20:4/20:3 | 9.8 ± 0.4 | 9.92 ± 0.4 | 0.796 | 9.9 ± 0.5 | 9.8 ± 0.5 | 0.889 | −1.1 |
| SCD1 16:0/16:1 * | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 0.037 | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 0.524 | 7.3 |
Data are expressed with means ± standard error. Adjusted results are FA levels controlled by age, nutrient intake, and body mass index (BMI). * Not normally distributed variables. OA: oleic acid; LA: linoleic acid; DGLA: dihomo-γ-linoleic acid; AA: arachidonic acid; EPA: eicosapentaenoic acid; DHA: docosahexaenoic acid; SFA: saturated fatty acids; MUFA: monounsaturated fatty acids; PUFA: polyunsaturated fatty acids; SCD1: Stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase 1; ELO: elongase.