American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 10, 250-256, Copyright © 1962 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Lack of Correlation Between Fatty Acid Patterns in Adipose Tissue and Amount of Coronary Arteriosclerosis

¹ From the Department of Pathology, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York

We have compared fatty acid patterns of adipose tissue as determined by vapor phase chromatography, with the amount of coronary arteriosclerosis and presence or absence of myocardial infarcts in fifty-seven Americans who have undergone autopsy.

Despite evidence in both man and animals that adipose tissue reflects, in a general way, the fatty acid content of the diet, and that various fatty acids have differing biologic effects, this study uncovered no correlation or relationship between the fatty acid composition of adipose tissue and the quantity of coronary arteriosclerosis or the presence or absence of myocardial infarcts.

Insufficient size of group, homogeneity of the population studied and possible importance of fatty acids outside the range for which we analyzed, are considered in relation to the negative results.

It is clearly important to examine in a like manner groups from other geographic areas, particularly where dietary fats and the degree of coronary arteriosclerosis are different from those found in New York.