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Dietary fat and plasma total homocysteine concentrations in 2 adult age groups: the Hordaland Homocysteine Study ^1,2,3

¹ From the Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Norway (PB, HR, EN, CAD, and GU); the Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care (SVK, SEV, and GST) and the Section for Pharmacology, Institute of Medicine (HR and PMU), University of Bergen, Norway; the Oxford Centre for Gene Function, Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, United Kingdom (HR); and the Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (GU)

Background: The intake of n–3 (formerly called omega-3) fatty acids (FAs) may be inversely associated with plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations, but the epidemiologic data are sparse.

Objective: We examined the association between dietary fat and tHcy in a Norwegian population.

Design: A cross-sectional, population-based study of 5917 subjects in 2 age groups (47–49 and 71–74 y old) was conducted with the use of food-frequency questionnaires and measurement of plasma tHcy concentrations.

Results: The intake of saturated FAs (SFAs) was positively and significantly (P for trend < 0.001) associated with tHcy concentrations; the difference in plasma tHcy concentrations between the highest and lowest quartiles of SFAs was 8.8%. The intake of marine very-long-chain n–3 FAs was inversely associated with tHcy concentrations; the difference in plasma tHcy concentrations between the lowest and the highest quartiles was –5.0% (P for trend < 0.001). Intakes of total and monounsaturated fat also were positively associated with plasma tHcy concentrations (P for trend < 0.001 and < 0.005, respectively), whereas the intake of polyunsaturated fat was positively associated with tHcy concentrations only in the younger subjects (P for trend = 0.03). The associations were weakened by additional adjustment for B vitamin intake but remained significant for SFA intake (P < 0.001). When stratified for total B vitamin intake, the inverse association between tHcy concentrations and very-long-chain n–3 FAs was significant only in the highest quartile of B vitamin intake (P for trend = 0.001), regardless of supplement use.

Conclusions: High intakes of SFAs are associated with high plasma concentrations of tHcy. The inverse association between dietary intakes of very-long-chain n–3 FAs and plasma tHcy concentrations is apparent only at high B vitamin intakes.

Key Words: Diet • dietary fat • total homocysteine • n–3 fatty acids • saturated fat • fish • Hordaland Homocysteine Study

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Homocysteine—an indicator of a healthy diet?

Petra Verhoef
AJCN 2007 85: 1446-1447. [Full Text]  

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				P. Verhoef Homocysteine--an indicator of a healthy diet? Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, June 1, 2007; 85(6): 1446 - 1447. [Full Text] [PDF]