Lipid and phospholipid fatty acid composition of plasma, red blood cells, and platelets and how they are affected by dietary lipids: a study of normal subjects from Italy, Finland, and the USA

• Published in: The American journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 45; no. 2; pp. 443 - 455
• Main Authors: Dougherty, R M, Galli, C, Ferro-Luzzi, A, Iacono, J M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Elsevier Inc 01.02.1987; American Society for Clinical Nutrition
• Subjects: ACIDE GRAS; ACIDOS GRASOS; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; blood; blood composition; blood platelets; Blood Platelets - metabolism; CHOLEST; cholesterol; Chromatography, Gas; Chromatography, Thin Layer; COLEST; COMPOSICION DE LA SANGRE; COMPOSITION DU SANG; diet; DIETA; Dietary Fats; Dietary Fats - pharmacology; ERITROCITOS; ERYTHROCYTE; erythrocytes; Erythrocytes - metabolism; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA; ETATS-UNIS; fatty acids; Fatty Acids - blood; Finland; FINLANDE; FINLANDIA; FOSFOLIPIDOS; Human physiology applied to population studies and life conditions. Human ecophysiology; Humans; Italy; LIPIDE; LIPIDOS; Lipids; Lipids - blood; Male; Medical sciences; metabolism; Nutritional survey. Food supply and nutritional requirement; pharmacology; PHOSPHATIDE; phospholipids; Phospholipids - blood; Pilot Projects; Plasma; Plasma - metabolism; r)ITALIA; REGIME ALIMENTAIRE; REITALIE; THROMBOCYTE; TROMBOCITOS; United States; United States; Italy; Finland; Human; United States; Europe; Red blood cell; Lipids; Inquiry; North America; Fatty acids; Feeding; Blood plasma; Blood cell; Platelet; Diet; America; Finland; Italy
• ISSN: 0002-9165; 1938-3207
• DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/45.2.443

A pilot study was conducted of males 40-45 years old from rural areas of three countries to study the long-term effects of dietary fats on the lipids of plasma, red blood cells (RBCs), and platelets. Differences were observed in cholesterol and phospholipid levels of plasma. Total phospholipids of RBCs and platelets were similar in all three countries. The pattern of individual phospholipids of RBCs in the Finnish and Italian samples differed from the American samples. In all plasma and RBC glycerolphospholipids, the monounsaturated fatty acids were highest in the Italian and the saturated fatty acids were highest in the Finnish samples; PUFAs were highest in the USA samples. Platelet glycerolphospholipids followed similar fatty acid patterns. We concluded that the fatty acid compositions of the glycerolphospholipids of plasma, RBCs, and platelets reflect the major dietary fatty acids.