Lipid metabolism of vegetarians with polymorphism of fatty acid desaturase.

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25350904
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Applied health science
• Research Institution: Kagawa Nutrition University
• Principal Investigator: Kagawa Yasuo 女子栄養大学, 栄養学部, 教授 (30048962)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): IWAMOTO Sadahiko 自治医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (10232711) ; KAMACHI Keiko 女子栄養大学, 付属研究所, 教授 (20365810) ; TANAKA Akira 女子栄養大学, 栄養学部, 教授 (70171733) ; KAWABATA Terue 女子栄養大学, 栄養学部, 教授 (80190932) ; NAKAYAM Kazuhiro 自治医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (90433581)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 菜食者 / 遺伝子多型 / ドコサヘキサエン酸 / エイコサペンタエン酸 / アラキドン酸 / 脂肪酸不飽和化酵素 / 純菜食者 / 魚菜食者

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Purpose: Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are needed to maintain health, but vegetarians hardly take them. Conversion of the plant-derived -linolenic acid (ALA) to EPA and DHA, and linoleic acid to arachidonic acid (AA) requires 5 desaturase, and the ability is lower in carriers of its genetic polymorphism (rs174547) C allele than those with T allele. Thus, the health status of the C allele carriers were surveyed.
Results: DHA intake of vegans + lactovegetarians was 0, and their serum and erythrocyte ALA was higher, and serum EPA and DHA were lower, and ω3 index was as low as 3.2 in TC/CC genotypes, and serum AA was much lower compared with those of TT genotype. The health indices of vegans + lactovegetarians were better than that of omnivores studied by Japanese National Nutrition Survey. The C carriers may keep health by their high EPA+DHA/AA ratio and preferentially preserve EPA/DHA to compensate low DHA intake.

Free Research Field

人体分子生物学