Investigation of the nutritional state of children in a Congolese village. II. Plasma fatty acid composition.

The fatty acid status of an unselected group of 84 Congolese children was determined by estimating the fatty acid composition of the plasma phospholipid (PL) and cholesterolester (CE) fractions using capillary gas chromatography. In comparison with North American and European children a wide range of values and low mean percentages (related to the fatty acids of a chain length of 14-24 carbon atoms) were found for the following fatty acids (mean +/- SD): linoleic acid (LA) (PL: 17.19 +/- 3.85; CE: 40.13 +/- 7.72); arachidonic acid (AA) (PL: 6.60 +/- 2.28; CE 4.32 +/- 1.71); dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DHLA) (PL: 1.80 +/- 0.68; CE 0.41 +/- 0.22). On average, omega 3 fatty acids were higher than in reference groups, while similar values were found for the monoenoic and omega 9 fatty acids. No sample contained eicosatrienoic acid, 20:3 omega 9 (ETA) which, dependent on analytical methods, may be difficult to separate from behenic acid (22:0). Changes in the relation between the two lipid fractions occurred when the LA content in CE was less than 35%. Also the correlation between LA and AA in CE, which was significant below 35% LA (r = 0.84), changed with higher values for LA (r = 0.01). These findings may indicate that alterations in fatty acid metabolism occur when LA values in CE--which are supposed to be directly related to the dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids--fall below 35% of all fatty acids in this lipid fraction.