Table 3.
Serum levels of fatty acids in Japanese in Japan, Whites, and Japanese Americans in 2002 – 2006
| Japanese in Japan (n=281) |
Whites (n=306) |
Japanese Americans (n=281) |
P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total fatty acids (mg/dL) | 245 (53) | 237 (51) | 243 (85) | n.s. |
| Fatty acids proportion | ||||
| Marine-derived n-3 fatty acids (%) | 9.2 (2.9) | 3.9 (1.7) | 4.8 (2.2) | ¶†§ |
| Eicosapentaenoic acid (%) | 2.5 (1.3) | 0.8 (0.6) | 1.0 (1.0) | ¶§ |
| Docosahexaenoic acid (%) | 5.9 (1.6) | 2.4 (1.2) | 3.2 (1.4) | ¶†§ |
| Alpha linolenic fatty acids (%) | 0.2 (0.2) | 0.3 (0.3) | 0.4 (0.4) | ¶†§ |
| Total n-6 fatty acids (%) | 35.1 (4.1) | 41.4 (4.2) | 41.4 (4.3) | ¶§ |
| Linoleic acid (%) | 26.8 (4.0) | 29.9 (4.1) | 30.2 (4.2) | ¶§ |
| Arachidonic acid (%) | 6.6 (1.3) | 9.0 (1.9) | 8.9 (2.3) | ¶§ |
| Saturated fatty acids (%) | 31.6 (2.1) | 30.9 (2.4) | 30.8 (2.2) | ¶§ |
| Monounsaturated fatty acids (%) | 19.4 (2.8) | 18.9 (3.1) | 18.0 (3.4) | †§ |
| Trans fatty acids (%) | 0.6 (0.2) | 1.0 (0.5) | 0.9 (0.4) | ¶†§ |
Values are expressed as mean (standard deviation).
Marine-derived n-3 fatty acids were calculated as a sum of eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3), docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n-3), and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3); total n-6 fatty acids as a sum of linoleic acid (18:2n-6), gamma-linoleic acid (18:3n-6), dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (20:3n-6), and arachidonic acid (20:4n-6); saturated fatty acids as a sum of myristic acid (14:0), palmitic acid (16:0), and stearic acid (18:0); monounsaturated fatty acids as a sum of palmitoleic acid (16:1n-7), oleic acid (18:1n-9), and cis-vaccenic acid (18:1n-7), and trans fatty acids as a sum of palmitelaidic acid (16:1t), elaidic acid (18:1t) and linolelaidic acid (18:2tt). Plant-derived n-3 fatty acids were alpha linolenic fatty acid (18:3n-3).
n.s.: Not significant
P<0.01 between the Japanese in Japan versus Whites
P<0.01 between Whites and Japanese Americans
P<0.01 between the Japanese in Japan versus Japanese Americans