PUFA Testing Methods Consistent

CAMBRIDGE, EnglandThe relationship between amount of fish consumed and plasma phospholipid n-3 PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids) was not substantially different between four groups given one of four dietary tests: food-frequency questionnaire, health and lifestyle questionnaire, seven-day diary or a first-day recall from the seven-day diary. Researchers also observed clear differences in plasma n-3 PUFAs between men and women. The study, designed to test the relative feasibility and measurement error of the four methods, was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (84, 6:1330-39, 2006), and included 4,949 men and women (aged 40 to 79 years) from the European Prospective Investigation into CancerNorfolk United Kingdom cohort.

Plasma phospholipid n-3 PUFA concentration and fish consumption was measured with one of the four dietary methods.
Plasma n-3 PUFA concentrations were found to be significantly higher in women than in men; 20 percent higher in fish-oil consumers than in non-fish-oil consumers; and, were twice as high in consumers of fatty fish as compared to general fish intake.In addition, only approximately 25 percent of the variation in plasma n-3 PUFA was explainedby fish and fish-oil consumption. Researchers noted this factor could explain the inconsistent results of observationaland intervention studies on coronary artery disease (CAD) protection.