Table 1.
Levels and Detection Rates of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Measured in Maternal Midpregnancy Serum Samples in a Population-Based Case-Control Study, by Case/Control Status, California, 2010–2011
| Class and PUFA | % Below LOQ a | Cases (n = 499) | Controls (n = 502) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geometric Mean (SD) | IQR | Geometric Mean (SD) | IQR | ||
| ω-3 PUFAs | |||||
| α-Linolenic acid | 12 | 0.99 (1.30) | 0.59–1.97 | 0.95 (1.29) | 0.53–1.94 |
| Stearidonic acid | 0 | 0.16 (0.06) | 0.13–0.20 | 0.16 (0.06) | 0.13–0.19 |
| Eicosapentaenoic acidb | 0 | 0.30 (0.52) | 0.18–0.49 | 0.27 (0.36) | 0.16–0.45 |
| Docosapentaenoic acid | 0 | 15.60 (7.34) | 11.70–20.30 | 15.50 (7.97) | 11.20–20.20 |
| Docosahexaenoic acid | 0 | 1.49 (0.56) | 1.20–1.79 | 1.48 (0.61) | 1.20–1.76 |
| Total ω-3 PUFAsc | 19.10 (8.59) | 14.57–24.84 | 18.80 (9.00) | 14.60–24.00 | |
| ω-6 PUFAs | |||||
| Linoleic acid | 0 | 35.90 (18.50) | 26.80–48.10 | 36.90 (20.70) | 27.00–49.40 |
| γ-Linolenic acid | 0 | 2.24 (1.66) | 1.50–3.56 | 2.15 (1.77) | 1.50–3.33 |
| Eicosadienoic acidd | 79 | ||||
| Dihomo-γ-linolenic acid | 0 | 1.63 (0.88) | 1.20–2.24 | 1.63 (0.94) | 1.19–2.31 |
| Arachidonic acid | 0 | 6.50 (1.61) | 2.26–5.00 | 6.43 (1.57) | 2.15–4.74 |
| Total ω-6 PUFAs | 47.10 (21.00) | 36.76–60.80 | 48.00 (23.30) | 36.20–62.40 | |
| Total PUFAsc,e | 66.7 (27.80) | 52.0–84.30 | 67.40 (30.70) | 51.80–85.30 | |
Abbreviations: IQR, interquartile range; LOQ, limit of quantification; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acid; SD, standard deviation.
a The LOQ is not applicable for totals; numbers shown are the percentage of the study population below the LOQ for that fatty acid.
b P < 0.05 for comparison between case and control levels, according to Student’s t test.
c Eicosapentaenoic acid was not included because of the low detection rate.
d Not included in further analyses because of the low detection rate.
e Sum of all individual PUFAs shown.