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. 2017 May 26;12(5):e0178192.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178192. eCollection 2017.

Even- and odd-chain saturated fatty acids in serum phospholipids are differentially associated with adipokines

Kayo Kurotani  1 , Masao Sato  2 , Kazuki Yasuda  3 , Kentaro Kashima  2 , Shoji Tanaka  2 , Takuya Hayashi  2 , Bungo Shirouchi  2 , Shamima Akter  1 , Ikuko Kashino  1 , Hitomi Hayabuchi  4 , Tetsuya Mizoue  1
Affiliations

Even- and odd-chain saturated fatty acids in serum phospholipids are differentially associated with adipokines

Kayo Kurotani et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Saturated fatty acids are generally thought to have detrimental effects on health. However, a recent study showed that even- and odd-chain saturated fatty acids had opposite associations with type 2 diabetes. Limited studies of Western populations examined the associations of circulating saturated fatty acids with adipokines, an important role in glucose metabolism.

Objective: We examined the associations of saturated fatty acids in serum phospholipids with circulating levels of adipokines among a Japanese population.

Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 484 Japanese employees (284 men and 200 women) aged 20-65 years. The serum fatty acid composition in the phospholipid fraction was measured by gas-chromatography. Serum leptin, adiponectin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), resistin, and visfatin were measured using a Luminex suspension bead-based multiplexed array. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to assess the association between saturated fatty acids and adipokines, with adjustment for potential confounding variables.

Results: Even- and odd-chain saturated fatty acids were differentially associated with adipokines. Higher levels of even-chain saturated fatty acids (14:0 myristic, 16:0 palmitic, and 18:0 stearic acids) were associated with higher levels of resistin (P for trend = 0.048) and lower levels of adiponectin (P for trend = 0.003). By contrast, odd-chain saturated fatty acids (15:0 pentadecanoic and 17:0 heptadecanoic acids) showed inverse associations with leptin and PAI-1 (P for trend = 0.048 and 0.02, respectively). Visfatin was positively associated with both even- and odd-chain saturated fatty acids.

Conclusions: The results suggest that even- and odd-chain saturated fatty acids are differentially associated with adipokine profile.

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Conflict of interest statement

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

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Median proportions of saturated fatty acids (%).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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