Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice 2008-05-01

High levels of saturated very long-chain fatty acid (hexacosanoic acid; C26:0) in whole blood are associated with metabolic syndrome in Japanese men.

Atsumi Kume, Tetsuro Miyazaki, Yohei Kitamura, Kyoichi Oshida, Naotake Yanagisawab, Hirotaka Takizawa, Kiyotaka Fujii, Takashi Kiyanagi, Katsuhiko Sumiyoshi, Hirotoshi Ohmura, Hiroshi Mokuno, Kazunori Shimada, Hiroyuki Daida

Index: Diabetes Res. Clin. Pract. 80(2) , 259-64, (2008)

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Abstract

Hexacosanoic acid (C26:0) is a saturated very long-chain fatty acid and high levels of C26:0 in red blood cells are reported to be closely related with risk factors of atherosclerosis. However, the relationship between absolute levels of C26:0 in whole blood and metabolic syndrome (MS) has not been determined.We divided 218 consecutive apparently healthy male subjects into an MS group (n=78) and a non-MS group (n=140) according to the definition of the International Diabetes Federation. The levels of C26:0 in whole blood were measured by gas liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.The MS group had significantly higher levels of C26:0 than the non-MS group (2.42+/-0.31mug/ml vs. 2.25+/-0.29mug/ml, P=0001). There was a significant association between the levels of C26:0 and the number of factors of MS. The levels of C26:0 positively correlated with age, blood pressure, triglyceride and fasting plasma glucose. Multivariate analysis revealed that the level of C26:0 is still an independent variable for the presence of MS after adjustment for age and each criterion of MS.The absolute levels of C26:0 in whole blood appear to be associated with MS independent of its component parts.