Lower Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Higher Arachidonic Acid Levels in Sera of Young Adults in the Netherlands than in Japan

ABSTRACT

To survey risk factors in coronary heart disease, we compared serum fatty acid composition and lipids for university students in Japan (33 males and 29 females) and in the Netherlands (20 males and 19 females). No significant differences were found between the mean levels of cholesterol (Chol) and triglycerides (TG) between the subjects in the two countries. The mean levels of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and saturated fatty acid (SFA) of Japanese students were similar to those of the Dutch students. In both countries, the levels of Chol showed a positive correlation with the levels of PUFA, n−6 PUFA, linoleic acid (C18 2n−6), and arachidonic acid (AA, C20 4n−6) but no correlation with the percentages of PUFA and the ratio of PUFA/SFA. On the other hand, the TG levels correlated inversely with the percentage of PUFA and the ratios of PUFA/SFA in both countries. When compared to those of Japanese students, low eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20 5n−3) and high AA were found in the Dutch students (p < 0.001, respectively). The total amounts of n−3 PUFA in the Dutch were significantly lower than those in the Japanese (p < 0.001) but no differences among those of n−6 PUFA. The ratios of EPA/AA and n−3/n−6 PUFA of the Dutch students were lower than those of the Japanese students (p < 0.001, respectively). The ratio of EPA/AA showed a positive correlation with EPA but not with AA in both countries. The levels of Toc which will decrease the risk of coronary vascular disease (CVD) were lower in Japan than those in the Dutch in both sexes (p < 0.01, respectively). These results suggest that the low EPA and high AA levels and the low n−3/n−6 PUFA ratio may lead to greater incidence of CVD.