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Summary
The present study was undertaken to elucidate the involvement of dietary fat inthe structural lipid composition of erythrocyte membranes and to detennine thetime required to achieve changes of composition. Thirteen normal healthy subjects took a daily supplement of 45 ml of sunflower seed oil over a period offour weeks. This caused a decrease of both dietary fat and carbohydrate.Erythrocyte membrane fatty acid patterns and daily dietary intake of proximatenutrients were determined before and during supplementation. Sunflower seed oilfatty acids were incorporated rapidly into the erythrocyte membrane lipids andcause d a substantial shift in their long-chain fatty acids in favour of w6 fattyacids, at the expense of w3 and w9 acids. The change of composition in fourweeks was 70, 25, 85 and 75 per cent of the th eoretical maximal change (calculated by extrapolation of the concentration curve against time) for 18: 2w6,20:4w6, 18:3w3 and 20:5w3 respectively. The time required for an individualfatty acid to exhibit a shift was proportional to its chain length and degree ofunsaturation. The double-bond index was essentially similar before and during supplementation, thus membrane fluidity was probably unchanged.