Abstract
Desaturase enzymes influence the fatty acid (FA) composition of body tissues and their activity affects the conversion rate of saturated to monounsaturated FA and of polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) to long-chain PUFA. Desaturase activity has further been shown to be associated with inflammation. We investigate the association between delta-9 (D9D), delta-6 (D6D) and delta-5 desaturase (D5D) activity and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (CRP) in young children.
In the IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants) cohort study children were examined at baseline (T0) and after 2 y (T1). D9D, D6D, and D5D activities were estimated from T0 product-precursor FA ratios. CRP was measured at T0 and T1. In a subsample of 1,943 children with available information on FA, CRP, and covariates, the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of desaturase activity and CRP were analyzed.
Cross-sectionally, a D9D increase of 0.01 units was associated with a 11% higher risk of having a serum CRP ≥ Percentile 75 (P75) (OR, 99% CI: 1.11 (1.01; 1.22)) whereas D6D and D5D were not associated with CRP. No significant associations were observed between baseline desaturase activity and CRP 2 y later.