Fatty acid composition of plasma from subjects meeting each case definition and controls
| Type of fatty acid (no of cases:controls) | Current asthma (n = 156/811) | Asthma (n = 238/729) | Doctor diagnosed asthma (n = 257/710) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data are mean (SD) wt%. | ||||
| Note that numbers do not total 1049 because of missing data. | ||||
| LA, linoleic acid; GLA, γ-linolenic acid; DHGLA, dihomo γ-linolenic acid; AA, arachidonic acid; LNA, α-linolenic acid; EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid; DPA, docosapentaenoic acid; DHA, docosahexaenoic acid. | ||||
| n-6 series polyunsaturated | ||||
| 8:2 LA | Cases | 20.35 (2.85) | 20.04 (2.83) | 20.25 (2.89) |
| Controls | 20.15 (2.83) | 20.23 (2.83) | 20.16 (2.81) | |
| 8:3 GLA | Cases | 0.10 (0.06) | 0.10 (0.06) | 0.10 (0.06) |
| Controls | 0.10 (0.06) | 0.10 (0.06) | 0.10 (0.06) | |
| 20:2 | Cases | 0.35 (0.09) | 0.35 (0.08) | 0.35 (0.08) |
| Controls | 0.34 (0.08) | 0.34 (0.08) | 0.34 (0.07) | |
| 20:3 DHGLA | Cases | 3.93 (0.90) | 3.84 (0.84) | 3.82 (0.87) |
| Controls | 3.69 (0.85) | 3.69 (0.86) | 3.69 (0.85) | |
| 20:4 AA | Cases | 10.31 (2.07) | 10.51 (1.94) | 10.31 (2.02) |
| Controls | 10.51 (1.82) | 10.46 (1.83) | 10.53 (1.80) | |
| 22:4 | Cases | 0.35 (0.13) | 0.35 (0.11) | 0.35 (0.11) |
| Controls | 0.35 (0.12) | 0.34 (0.12) | 0.35 (0.12) | |
| 22:5 | Cases | 0.33 (0.16) | 0.32 (0.14) | 0.32 (0.15) |
| Controls | 0.31 (0.12) | 0.31 (0.13) | 0.31 (0.12) | |
| n-3 series polyunsaturated | ||||
| 18:3 LNA | Cases | 0.19 (0.08) | 0.18 (0.08) | 0.19 (0.08) |
| Controls | 0.19 (0.08) | 0.19 (0.08) | 0.19 (0.08) | |
| 20:5 EPA | Cases | 1.16 (0.50) | 1.16 (0.48) | 1.16 (0.49) |
| Controls | 1.20 (0.51) | 1.20 (0.52) | 1.21 (0.52) | |
| 22:5 DPA | Cases | 1.28 (0.42) | 1.29 (0.40) | 1.26 (0.39) |
| Controls | 1.28 (0.37) | 1.28 (0.37) | 1.29 (0.38) | |
| 22:6 DHA | Cases | 4.28 (1.49) | 4.39 (1.49) | 4.33 (1.62) |
| Controls | 4.40 (1.52) | 4.38 (1.52) | 4.40 (1.48) | |
| Total | ||||
| n-6 | Cases | 35.83 (2.55) | 35.65 (2.48) | 35.63 (2.55) |
| Controls | 35.58 (2.41) | 35.61 (2.42) | 35.62 (2.39) | |
| n-3 | Cases | 6.96 (1.93) | 7.07 (1.85) | 6.99 (1.99) |
| Controls | 7.12 (1.94) | 7.10 (1.96) | 7.13 (1.91) | |
| n-6:n-3 ratio | Cases | 5.53 (1.51) | 5.40 (1.48) | 5.49 (1.54) |
| Controls | 5.36 (1.47) | 5.38 (1.47) | 5.34 (1.45) | |
| Polyunsaturated | Cases | 43.09 (3.15) | 42.97 (4.10) | 42.72 (3.94) |
| Controls | 42.85 (2.68) | 42.80 (3.06) | 42.89 (3.12) | |
| Saturated | Cases | 41.88 (2.51) | 41.89 (2.38) | 41.95 (2.38) |
| Controls | 42.01 (2.22) | 42.03 (2.23) | 42.00 (2.22) | |
| Trans | Cases | 0.66 (0.21) | 0.66 (0.22) | 0.68 (0.23) |
| Controls | 0.66 (0.22) | 0.66 (0.22) | 0.66 (0.22) | |
| Monounsaturated | Cases | 14.16 (1.61) | 14.21 (1.57) | 14.25 (1.65) |
| Controls | 14.09 (1.53) | 14.07 (1.53) | 14.05 (1.50) | |