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Erythrocyte cell membrane phospholipid levels compared against reported dietary intakes of polyunsaturated fatty acids in pregnant Mexican women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 December 2006

Maria-Socorro Parra ,
Lourdes Schnaas ,
Mohsen Meydani ,
Estela Perroni ,
Sandra Martíanez  and
Isabelle Romieu
Maria-Socorro Parra*
Affiliation:
National Institute of Public Health Mexico, Ave. Universidad 655, Col. Sta. Ma. Ahuacatitlán, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico62508
Lourdes Schnaas
Affiliation:
Developmental Neurobiology Department, National Institute of Perinatology, Mexico City, Mexico
Mohsen Meydani
Affiliation:
Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
Estela Perroni
Affiliation:
Developmental Neurobiology Department, National Institute of Perinatology, Mexico City, Mexico
Sandra Martíanez
Affiliation:
Developmental Neurobiology Department, National Institute of Perinatology, Mexico City, Mexico
Isabelle Romieu
Affiliation:
National Institute of Public Health Mexico, Ave. Universidad 655, Col. Sta. Ma. Ahuacatitlán, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico62508
*
*Corresponding author: Email mparra@insp.mx
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Abstract

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Objective:

To evaluate the validity of a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for assessment of the dietary intakes of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) against a biochemical marker of fat intake, erythrocyte cell membrane phospholipid levels, during pregnancy.

Design:

Cross-sectional analysis.

Setting:

Developmental Neurobiology Department, National Institute of Perinatology, Mexico City.

Subjects:

One hundred forty-six healthy pregnant women during the last trimester of pregnancy. Among women enrolled, the first 35 pregnant women (24%) had their erythrocytes analysed for fatty acid status.

Methods:

We administered an FFQ and compared intakes of PUFAs against their erythrocyte cell membrane concentrations, processed by gas chromatography.

Results:

Pearson correlation coefficients among α-linolenic acid (ALN), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid in erythrocyte cell membranes against their crude dietary counterparts were 0.32, 0.35 and 0.36 (each P < 0.05). In a simple linear regression, erythrocyte DHA and arachidonic acid (AA) were significantly related to their respective dietary intakes (β = 0.30, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.007–0.60, P = 0.045 for DHA; β = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.010–0.98, P = 0.044 for AA). Erythrocyte cell membrane ALN concentration (%/total) was only marginally related to ALN dietary intake (mg day−1) (β = 0.52, 95% CI: −0.020–1.10, P = 0.061). However, after adjustment for long-chain n–3 PUFA/AA, this association reached significance (β = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.026–0.825, P = 0.038). Main dietary sources for n–3 PUFAs were canned tuna fish and fresh catfish; for n–6 these were eggs and cow's milk. The use of this FFQ in these pregnant Mexican women provided estimates of average long-term intakes of PUFAs and correlated reasonably well with their erythrocyte cell membrane phospholipid status. However, we need to consider that, during pregnancy, there is a faster turnover of PUFAs from fat storage that may modify the profile of erythrocyte PUFAs and lower the correlation between dietary intake and erythrocyte PUFAs.

Keywords

Polyunsaturated fatty acidsα-Linolenic acidDocosahexaenoic acidEicosapentaenoic acidArachidonic acidPregnancyFood-frequency questionnaireErythrocytes
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 5 , Issue 6a , December 2002 , pp. 931 - 937
Copyright
Copyright © CAB International 2002

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