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Essential fatty acid depletion in children with inflammatory bowel disease
Piotr Socha1, Józef Ryzko, Berthold Koletzko
1Department Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Immunology, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warszawa, Poland. sochap@czd.waw.pl
Insights
Children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at high risk for polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) depletion, particularly n-6 PUFAs. This deficiency is linked to increased disease activity and poorer nutritional status in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Nutritional Science
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children often leads to malabsorption and malnutrition.
- This can increase the risk of essential fatty acid deficiencies, impacting overall health.
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) play crucial roles in inflammation and cellular function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) status in children diagnosed with IBD.
- To investigate the correlation between PUFA levels, disease activity, and nutritional markers in pediatric IBD patients.
Main Methods:
- Plasma phospholipid fatty acid composition was analyzed in 21 children (ages 5.5-18) with mild to moderate IBD (ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease).
- Clinical symptoms, disease activity indices, and nutritional status (including body mass, Hb, and albumin) were evaluated.
- Results were compared against a control group of healthy children.
Main Results:
- Children with IBD exhibited significantly lower levels of plasma phospholipid PUFAs compared to healthy controls.
- Specifically, lower concentrations of linoleic acid (18:2n-6) and arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) were observed in IBD patients.
- Total n-6 PUFA levels showed an inverse correlation with disease activity markers (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, seromucoid) and a positive correlation with hemoglobin concentration.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease face a substantial risk of n-6 PUFA depletion.
- This depletion is significantly associated with higher disease activity and compromised nutritional status in children with IBD.
Objective:
Children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) suffer from malabsorption and malnutrition and therefore may be at risk of developing polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) deficiency. The aim of this study was to investigate PUFA status in children with IBD and the possible relationship to disease activity and nutritional status.
Material And Methods:
We assessed the fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids (%wt/wt) of 21 children aged 5.5-18 years with IBD (ulcerative colitis, 15; Crohn's disease, 6) with mild or moderate disease activity. The clinical symptoms and biochemical indices of disease activity and nutritional status (lean and fat body mass, Hb, albumin serum conc.) were also determined.
Results:
The patients had lower phospholipid PUFAs than 13 healthy, aged-matched controls (25.8+/-5.2 versus 34.2+/-5.7, M+/-SD, p<0.001), mainly due to lower values of linoleic acid (18:2n-6, 14.0+/-3.8 versus 18.3+/-4.3, p<0.01) and its major metabolite arachidonic acid (20:4n-6, 5.3+/-2.0 versus 9.3+/-1.9, p<0.0001). There were also higher values of a-linolenic acid (18:3n-3, 0.3+/-0.4 versus 0.2+/-0.1, p<0.01) while the long-chain n-3 PUFA-eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids were normal. Total n-6 PUFA correlated inversely to erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p<0.01), seromucoid (p<0.05) and positively to Hb concentration (p<0.01).
Conclusions:
Children with inflammatory bowel disease have a high risk of n-6 PUFA depletion, which is related to disease activity.
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