Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity (Dec 2022)
Plasma Fatty Acids, Not Dietary Fatty Acids, Associated with Obesity in Four Ethnic Minority Groups Unique to Southwest China: A Cross-Sectional Study
Abstract
Teng Zhang,1,2,* Juan Huang,1,3,* Yanru Li,1,* Dubo Zhong,4 Songmei Wang,1 Fang Xu,1 Xuehui Zhang,1 Yuemei Feng,1 Jianzhong Yin1,2 1School of Public Health, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, People’s Republic of China; 2Baoshan College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Baoshan, People’s Republic of China; 3Ultrasonography Department, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, People’s Republic of China; 4Yunnan Yunce Quality Inspection Limited Company, Kunming, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jianzhong Yin, Baoshan College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Longyang District, Baoshan, Yunnan Province, 678000, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13987645337, Email [email protected] Yuemei Feng, School of Public Health, Kunming Medical University, 1168 West Chunrong Road, Yuhua Avenue, Chenggong District, Kunming, 650500, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13678754163, Email [email protected]: Dietary fatty acids (DFAs) and plasma fatty acids (PFAs) are linked to obesity. However, whether this association exists among ethnic minorities remains lacking. The present cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the correlation between DFAs, PFAs and obesity in four ethnic minority groups to Southwest China.Methods: A total of 166 obese people, and 166 normal-BMI subjects matched based on their age-, sex-, and ethnicity- were recruited from four different ethnic minority groups. DFAs were obtained through food frequency questionnaires. PFAs were assayed by GC/MS method. Binary and multiple regression analyses were performed to evaluate the correlation among DFAs, PFAs and obesity. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was conducted to assess the relationship between DFAs and PFAs.Results: FAs were found to be highest in the Naxi people and lowest in the Hani people. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that plasma C16:0 (OR = 1.310; 95% CI, 1.028– 1.669) in the Hani people; plasma C20:3 n-6 (OR = 6.250; 95% CI, 1.224– 31.927) and dietary C20:1 (OR = 9.231; 95% CI, 1.253– 68.016) in the Wa people; plasma C18:0 (OR = 0.788; 95% CI, 0.681– 0.912) in the Naxi people were seen to be independent predictive factors for obesity. CCA showed that DFAs were positively correlated with PFAs in the Naxi (r: 0.676; P < 0.05) and Bulang people (r: 0.897; P < 0.05), but there was no correlation in the Hani and Wa people.Conclusion: In this study, PFAs but not DFAs were independently associated with obesity, and different among the four ethnic minorities.Keywords: dietary fatty acids, plasma fatty acids, obesity, minorities, canonical correlation analysis
