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Increased linoleic acid/α-linolenic acid ratio in Swedish cord blood samples collected between 1985 and 2005

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Abstract

Background

Cord serum (CS) phospholipid fatty acid composition is associated with maternal diet during foetal life, and maternal intake of linoleic acid (LA, C18:2ω-6) and α-linolenic acid (LNA, C18:3 ω-3) has been shown to influence the LA and LNA levels in CS. A possible connection between the increased incidence of atopic diseases and increased intake of LA and decreased intake of LNA in the Western world has been proposed.

Aim

The aim of this study was to explore phospholipid fatty acid proportions and total IgE levels in CS from Swedish children, collected from 1985 to 2005, a period with increasing frequency of allergic diseases in Sweden, and reveal possible changes over time.

Method

Phospholipid fatty acids and total IgE antibodies were analysed with gas chromatography and UniCAP® technology, respectively, in 300 CS samples.

Results

The proportions of LA and LNA decreased significantly from 1985 to 2005 (p < 0.001 for both). However, the LA/LNA ratio did increase (p < 0.001), revealing a relatively larger decrease in LNA than in LA. No correlations were found between ω-6 and ω-3 fatty acids and total IgE antibodies in CS from newborn children.

Conclusions

The LA/LNA ratio increased (p < 0.001) in cord serum samples collected between 1985 and 2005, and no correlations between fatty acids and total IgE were found.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the midwives at the maternity ward at the University Hospital in Linköping for endless patience with collecting the cord blood samples. Professor Birgitta Strandvik and Mrs. Berit Holmberg, Department of Pediatrics, Institute of the Health of Women and Children, Göteborg University, Göteborg, are acknowledged for kindly providing the PUFA phospholipids analysis technique. We also wish to thank Dr. Olle Eriksson and Dr. Anneli Sepa for statistical guidance and Dr. Jenny Walldén for laboratory support. The study was financially supported by the Swedish Nutrition Foundation (SNF).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, 581 85, Linköping, Sweden

    Kristina Warstedt & Karel Duchén

  2. Clinical and Experimental Research/Pediatrics, Faculty of Health Science, Linköping University, 581 85, Linköping, Sweden

    Kristina Warstedt

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Linköping University Hospital, The County Council in Östergötland, 581 85, Linköping, Sweden

    Karel Duchén

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  1. Kristina Warstedt
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Correspondence to Kristina Warstedt.

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Warstedt, K., Duchén, K. Increased linoleic acid/α-linolenic acid ratio in Swedish cord blood samples collected between 1985 and 2005. Eur J Nutr 52, 659–665 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-012-0369-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-012-0369-6

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