Low and high risk coronary patients discriminated by blood platelet fatty acid composition

The distribution of 11 long-chain fatty acids in platelet phospholipids were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis with groups of high and low risk coronary patients and controls. The alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) had significant explanatory power between the groups. As has been anticipated from studies in Eskimos, the EPA fraction was low in coronary patients. It was lower in high risk patients than in low risk patients, and lower in patients below rather than above, 60 years of age. Young high risk patients had 1.2 +/- 0.2% (Mean, SE) EPA against 1.8 +/- 0.2% in young controls, (p = 0.035). Old low risk patients had the highest EPA and also the highest DHA, 2.9 +/- 0.3% against 2.3 +/- 0.2% in controls. The ALA was low in low risk patients. Patients with low platelet EPA and high serum cholesterol should be included in trials with EPA rich diets.