Influence of a healthy Nordic diet on serum fatty acid composition and associations with blood lipoproteins – results from the NORDIET study

Figures & data

Table 1 Intake of total fat and fatty acids at baseline and after 6 weeks in the control diet group and the Nordic diet group, presented as a percentage of total energy intake (E%)

	Control diet group			Nordic diet group
	Baseline^a n=42	6 weeks^a n=42	p ^b	Baseline^a n=44	6 weeks n=44^c	p ^b
Total fat^d	34±4.9	34±5.0	0.20	34±5.0	27±0.9	<0.01
Saturated fatty acids^d	13±3.0	13±3.0	0.40	14±3.1	5.2±0.4	<0.01
14:0 (myristic acid)	1.3±0.6	1.4±0.6	n.s.	2.0±1.0	0.3±0.0	<0.01
16:0 (palmitic acid)	6.8±2.2	6.8±2.2	n.s.	9.4±3.8	2.9±0.4	<0.01
18:0 (stearic acid)	2.8±0.9	2.8±0.9	n.s.	3.8±1.6	0.9±0.1	<0.01
Monounsaturated fatty acids^d	12±2.3	12±2.3	0.32	12±2.1	11±0.5	<0.01
16:1 (palmitoleic acid)	0.6±0.2	0.6±0.2	n.s.	0.7±0.2	0.3±0.0	<0.01
18:1 (oleic acid)	11.0±3.6	11.1±3.6	n.s.	13.9±4.7	9.6±1.1	<0.01
Polyunsaturated fatty acids^d	5.6±1.7	5.6±1.7	0.07	4.9±1.1	6.3±0.3	<0.01
18:2n – 6 (linoleic acid)	4.4±2.2	4.4±2.2	n.s.	4.6±1.5	3.7±0.5	<0.01
18:3n – 3 (α-linolenic)	0.8±0.5	0.8±0.5	n.s.	0.8±0.3	1.6±0.2	<0.01
20:5n – 3 (eicosapentaenoic acid)	0.1±0.1	0.1±0.1	n.s.	0.1±0.1 (0.17±0.14^e)	0.1±0.0 (0.24±0.05^e)	<0.01
22:6n – 3 (docosahexaenoic acid)	0.2±0.1	0.2±0.1	n.s.	0.2±0.1 (0.41±0.3^e)	0.2±0.0 (0.51±0.09^e)	0.027

Data are presented as mean±SD.

^aAssessed from dietary history interviews.

^bDifference within the group using paired sample t-test.

^cAssessed using a daily study check-list.

^dThese data have been previously reported (1).

^eIntake presented as gram.

Table 2 Fatty acid composition in serum cholesterol esters (CE-FA) at baseline and after 6 weeks in the control diet group and the Nordic diet (ND) group

	Control diet group (n=42)				Nordic diet group (n=44)
	Baseline	6 weeks	Change	p for change^a	Baseline	6 weeks	Change	p for change^a	p ^b
CE-SFA
14:0 (myristic acid)	0.805±0.202	0.925±0.269	0.121±0.170	<0.01	0.844±0.168	0.613±0.178	−0.231±0.208	<0.01	<0.01
15:0 (pentadecanoic acid)	0.198±0.039	0.203±0.046	0.005±0.025	n.s.	0.192±0.030	0.168±0.029	−0.024±0.025	<0.01	<0.01
16:0 (palmitic acid)	11.10±0.69	11.34±0.64	0.24±0.44	<0.01	11.13±0.62	11.30±0.52	0.17±0.62	n.s.	n.s.
18:0 (stearic acid)	0.814±0.126	0.833±0.156	0.020±0.145	n.s.	0.797±0.130	0.688±0.202	−0.109±0.230	<0.01	<0.01
CE-MUFA
16:1 (palmitoleic acid)	2.78±0.84	2.94±0.95	0.15±0.52	n.s.	3.07±0.87	2.89±0.86	−0.18±0.70	n.s.	n.s.
18:1 (oleic acid)	21.11±1.41	21.45±1.55	0.34±1.16	n.s.	21.40±1.60	21.12±1.61	−0.28±1.22	n.s.	n.s.
CE-PUFA
18:2n – 6 (linoleic acid)	51.01±3.65	49.11±3.83	−1.90±2.68	<0.01	50.94±2.85	50.11±3.24	−0.83±2.88	n.s.	n.s.
18:3n – 3 (α-linolenic)	0.911±0.180	0.924±0.257	0.013±0.202	n.s.	0.886±0.186	0.927±0.219	0.040±0.202	n.s.	n.s.
20:5n – 3 (eicosapentaenoic acid)	2.15±0.97	2.85±1.11	0.70±0.99	<0.01	1.72±0.56	2.63±0.95	0.91±0.92	<0.01	n.s.
22:6n – 3 (docosahexaenoic acid)	0.95±0.17	1.05±0.22	0.09±0.15	<0.01	0.83±0.23	1.14±0.23	0.31±0.22	<0.01	<0.01
Desaturase and elongase indices
SCD-1 activty^c	0.249±0.068	0.258±0.077	0.008±0.042	n.s.	0.277±0.081	0.256±0.076	−0.021±0.061	n.s.	<0.01
Elongase activity^d	0.073±0.011	0.074±0.013	0.000±0.013	n.s.	0.072±0.011	0.061±0.017	−0.011±0.019	<0.01	<0.01
D6D activity^e	0.015±0.007	0.016±0.007	0.001±0.001	<0.01	0.017±0.005	0.018±0.005	0.000±0.001	n.s.	n.s.
D5D activity^f	9.37±1.97	9.37±2.13	0.00±1.35	n.s.	8.96±2.16	10.48±2.68	1.52±1.81	<0.01	<0.01

FAs are presented as a relative percentage of FAs analysed. Data are presented as mean±SD.

CE-SFA, saturated fatty acids in cholesterol esters; CE-MUFA, monounsaturated fatty acids in CE; CE-PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acids in CE.

^a p=Difference in change in fatty acid (FA) composition in CE (CE-FA) from baseline to 6 weeks after the control diet and the ND within group.

^b p=Difference in change in CE-FA composition from baseline to 6 weeks after the control diet and the ND between groups.

^cSCD-1, stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (16:1n – 7/16:0).

^dEstimated elongase activity (18:0/16:0).

^eD6D, estimated delta-6 desaturase activity (18:3n – 3/18:2n – 6).

^fD5D, estimated delta-5 desaturase activity (20:4n – 6/20:3n – 6).

Table 3 Relationship between the difference in change for fatty acid composition in serum cholesterol esters (CE-FA) and blood lipoproteins after 6 weeks in the control diet and Nordic diet groups combined (n=86)

	LDL-C		HDL-C		LDL-C/HDL-C ratio		ApoA1		ApoB		ApoB/A1 ratio
	r	p	r	p	r	p	r	p	r	p	r	p
CE-SFA
14:0	0.557	<0.01	0.413	<0.01	0.287	<0.01	0.594	<0.01	0.620	<0.01	0.162	n.s.
15:0	0.282	<0.01	0.169	n.s.	0.179	n.s.	0.191	n.s.	0.283	<0.01	0.056	n.s.
18:0	0.286	<0.01	0.036	n.s.	0.318	<0.01	0.137	n.s.	0.311	<0.01	0.183	n.s.
CE-PUFA
22:6n – 3	−0.346	<0.01	−0.434	<0.01	−0.015	n.s.	−0.573	<0.01	−0.355	<0.01	0.098	n.s.

r=Pearson's correlation coefficient.

CE-SFA, saturated fatty acids in cholesterol esters; CE-PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acids in CE.

Adamsson V, Reumark A, Fredriksson IB, Hammarstrom E, Vessby B, Johansson G, etal. Effects of a healthy Nordic diet on cardiovascular risk factors in hypercholesterolaemic subjects: a randomized controlled trial (NORDIET). J Intern Med. 2011; 269: 150–9.

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