A Taiwanese food frequency questionnaire correlates with plasma docosahexaenoic acid but not with plasma eicosapentaenoic acid levels: questionnaires and plasma biomarkers

BMC Medical Research Methodology

Ming-Fong Chen⁴  Yuan-The Lee⁵  Hsiu-Ching Hsu⁴  Hung-Ju Lin⁴  Pey-Rong Chen²  Yi-Tsen Tsai¹  Meei-Shyuan Lee³  Kuo-Liong Chien⁴ 

[1] Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public School, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan;Department of Dietetics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan;School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan;Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan;Chinese Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan

关键词: Food frequency questionnaire;    Biomarker;    N-3 fatty acid;   

Others  :  1126193
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2288-13-23

 received in 2012-06-07, accepted in 2013-02-05,  发布年份 2013

【 摘 要 】

Background

Little evidence is available for the validity of dietary fish and polyunsaturated fatty acid intake derived from interviewer-administered questionnaires and plasma docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentration.

Methods

We estimated the correlation of DHA and EPA intake from both questionnaires and biochemical measurements. Ethnic Chinese adults with a mean (± SD) age of 59.8 (±12.8) years (n = 297) (47% women) who completed a 38-item semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire and provided a plasma sample were enrolled. Plasma fatty acids were analyzed by capillary gas chromatography.

Results

The Spearmen rank correlation coefficients between the intake of various types of fish and marine n-3 fatty acids as well as plasma DHA were significant, ranging from 0.20 to 0.33 (P < 0.001). In addition, dietary EPA, C22:5 n-3 and DHA were significantly correlated with the levels of marine n-3 fatty acids and DHA, with the Spearman rank correlation coefficients ranging from 0.26 to 0.35 (P < 0.001). Moreover, compared with those in the lowest fish intake quintile, participants in the highest quintile had a significantly higher DHA level (adjusted mean difference, 0.99 ± 0.10%, test for trend, P < 0.001). Similar patterns between dietary DHA intake and plasma DHA levels were found. However, the association between dietary fish intake and plasma EPA was not significant (test for trend, P = 0.69).

Conclusions

The dietary intakes of fish and of long chain n-3 fatty acids, as determined by the food frequency questionnaire, were correlated with the percentages of these fatty acids in plasma, and in particular with plasma DHA. Plasma DHA levels were correlated to dietary intake of long-chain n-3 fatty acids.

【 授权许可】

   
2013 Chien et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

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