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. 2014 Sep 5;9(9):e107003.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0107003. eCollection 2014.

Importance of fatty acid compositions in patients with peripheral arterial disease

Milan Gautam  1 , Atsushi Izawa  1 , Yuji Shiba  1 , Hirohiko Motoki  1 , Takahiro Takeuchi  1 , Ayako Okada  1 , Takeshi Tomita  1 , Yusuke Miyashita  1 , Jun Koyama  1 , Uichi Ikeda  1
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Importance of fatty acid compositions in patients with peripheral arterial disease

Milan Gautam et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Objective: Importance of fatty acid components and imbalances has emerged in coronary heart disease. In this study, we analyzed fatty acids and ankle-brachial index (ABI) in a Japanese cohort.

Methods: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) was diagnosed in 101 patients by ABI ≤0.90 and/or by angiography. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors and components of serum fatty acids were examined in all patients (mean age 73.2±0.9 years; 81 males), and compared with those in 373 age- and sex-matched control subjects with no evidence of PAD.

Results: The presence of PAD (mean ABI: 0.71±0.02) was independently associated with low levels of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) (OR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.85-0.96; P = 0.002), eicosapentaenoic acid∶arachidonic acid (EPA∶AA) ratio (OR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.17-0.86; P = 0.021), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (OR: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.96-0.98; P<0.0001), and with a high hemoglobin A1c level (OR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.06-1.69; P = 0.013). Individuals with lower levels of GLA (≤7.95 µg/mL) and a lower EPA∶AA ratio (≤0.55) had the lowest ABI (0.96±0.02, N = 90), while the highest ABI (1.12±0.01, N = 78) was observed in individuals with higher values of both GLA and EPA∶AA ratio (P<0.0001).

Conclusion: A low level of GLA and a low EPA∶AA ratio are independently associated with the presence of PAD. Specific fatty acid abnormalities and imbalances could lead to new strategies for risk stratification and prevention in PAD patients.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Distribution of levels of (A) gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and (B) eicosapentaenoic acid∶arachidonic acid (EPA∶AA) ratio according to ankle-brachial index in 459 subjects.
Figure 2
Figure 2. The association of serum levels of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and eicosapentaenoic acid∶arachidonic acid (EPA∶AA) ratio with ankle-brachial index levels.
Study population was divided into 4 groups by using cut-off values at 7.95 µg/mL of GLA and at 0.55 of EPA∶AA ratio. There was an association of low levels of GLA and low EPA∶AA ratios with the presence of PAD.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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