Serum omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and the metabolic syndrome: a longitudinal population-based cohort study

The serum fatty acid composition reflects the dietary fatty acid composition from the past few days to several weeks. However, the role of serum omega-3 (from fish and fish oils) and omega-6 (from vegetable oils) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the course of metabolic syndrome is poorly understood. At the Primary Health Care Unit in Pieksämäki, Finland, all subjects born in 1942, 1947, 1952, 1957, and 1962 (n = 1,294) were invited for health checkups in 1997-1998 and 2003-2004. Metabolic syndrome was defined by using the new, harmonized criteria. The serum omega-3 PUFAs, omega-6 PUFAs, and total fatty acids were analyzed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Altogether, data from both checkups were available for 665 subjects. After adjustment for age, sex, and baseline body mass index, the incidence of metabolic syndrome between the 2 checkups with a 6.4-year follow-up was inversely associated (P < 0.001) with the increased relative proportion of omega-6 PUFAs in serum lipids. Further adjustment for body mass index change, lipid medication, smoking, alcohol intake, and physical activity conveyed similar results. The authors did not find any significant associations between omega-3 PUFAs and the incidence of metabolic syndrome. Therefore, their results suggest that the change in the relative proportion of omega-6 PUFAs in serum lipids is inversely related to the incidence of metabolic syndrome.