Fatty acid composition of human adipose tissue from two anatomical sites in a biracial community

This report describes the age-race specific distribution of fatty acids in samples of adipose tissue taken from both the perirenal and buttock areas of 406 men autopsied in a community pathology study. This analysis of fatty acid composition of adipose tissue is part of a comprehensive investigation of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease in a community setting. The findings from analysis of fatty acids are expressed as mass percentage of all fatty acids in adipose tissue triglyceride. For each age-site subgroup, white men tended to have higher mean percentages of myristic acid and palmitoleic acid than did black men. The converse was found for stearic acid. In the younger age groups only, the whites showed a higher mean percentage of linoleic acid than the blacks in adipose tissue from both sites. Age was associated with a decrease in mean percentage of stearic acid and an increase in mean percentage of oleic acid and palmitoleic acid in both races. The older age group had a lower mean percentage of linoleic acid than the younger age groups. The mean percentages of myristic, palmitic, and stearic acids were higher in perirenal tissue, while the mean percentages of palmitoleic and oleic acids were higher in buttock adipose tissue in both races.