Diet

Does PUFA Consumption Affect Adiposity?

Long-chain n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) consumption was not associated with reduced fat mass in humans, according to a new study.

While rodent studies have shown that PUFA intake reduced fat mass and prevented the development of obesity, the findings of this study suggest that humans do not experience similar effects.
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The study included 29,152 participants enrolled in the Diet, Cancer, Health cohort. Participants completed a validated 192-item semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were taken at baseline and after 5 years. Adipose tissue content of fatty acids was measured using gas chromatography in 1660 participants included in a random sample cohort, and effect modifications of carbohydrate to protein ratio and glycemic index were also investigated.

The difference in 5-year weight change between high consumption of PUFA and low consumption of PUFA was 147.6 g. After 5 years of follow-up, researchers did not find associations between PUFA consumption and waist circumference.

In addition, there were no associations between individual PUFAs eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid.

For high compared with low adipose tissue content of EPA, the difference in 5-year weight change was -649.6 g. However, the researchers did not observe any associations between total PUFA, docosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid, and 5-year weight change.

Likewise, PUFA content in adipose tissue was not associated with 5-year changes in waist circumference. Carbohydrate to protein ratio and glycemic index were not found to modify these effects.

“Dietary intake and adipose tissue content of long-chain n–3 PUFAs were neither consistently nor appreciably associated with change in body weight or waist circumference,” the researchers concluded.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Jakobsen MU, Madsen L, Skjøth F, et al. Dietary intake and adipose tissue content of long-chain n–3 PUFAs and subsequent 5-y change in body weight and waist circumference [published online March 29, 2017]. Am J Clin Nutr. doi:10.3945/​ajcn.116.140079.