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Evidence suggests that processed red meat consumption is a risk factor for CVD and type 2 diabetes (T2D). This analysis investigates the association between dietary patterns, their processed red meat contributions, and association with blood biomarkers of CVD and T2D, in 786 Irish adults (18-90 years) using cross-sectional data from a 2011 national food consumption survey. All meat-containing foods consumed were assigned to four food groups (n 502) on the basis of whether they contained red or white meat and whether they were processed or unprocessed. The remaining foods (n 2050) were assigned to twenty-nine food groups. Two-step and k-means cluster analyses were applied to derive dietary patterns. Nutrient intakes, plasma fatty acids and biomarkers of CVD and T2D were assessed. A total of four dietary patterns were derived. In comparison with the pattern with lower contributions from processed red meat, the dietary pattern with greater processed red meat intakes presented a poorer Alternate Healthy Eating Index (21·2 (SD 7·7)), a greater proportion of smokers (29%) and lower plasma EPA (1·34 (SD 0·72) %) and DHA (2·21 (SD 0·84) %) levels (P<0·001). There were no differences in classical biomarkers of CVD and T2D, including serum cholesterol and insulin, across dietary patterns. This suggests that the consideration of processed red meat consumption as a risk factor for CVD and T2D may need to be re-assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate habitual vitamin E intake and plasma α-tocopherol concentration and their relationship with plasma fatty acid profile in a healthy adult population. Methods: Vitamin E and fatty acid intake data were determined from the National Adult Nutrition Survey. Plasma α- and γ-tocopherol concentrations were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography and the percentage of fatty acids in plasma by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Participants ( n = 601) were divided into vitamin E intake quartiles and plasma α-tocopherol quartiles, and differences in fatty acid intake and plasma fatty acid profile were analyzed by a general linear model. Results: Dietary intake data showed that as vitamin E intake increased, intakes of total polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and α-linolenic acid increased significantly ( p < 0.001), but eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) did not. After adjusting for fatty acid intake, vitamin E intake was positively related to plasma n-3 PUFA (EPA and DHA) levels and plasma n-3/n-6 PUFA ratio. Plasma α-tocopherol concentration was positively related to the percentage of plasma total PUFA, n-3 PUFA and EPA and inversely related to the percentage of plasma n-6 PUFA. Conclusions: The study illustrates that there are statistical relationships between plasma fatty acid profile and both vitamin E intake and plasma α-tocopherol concentration. Vitamin E may play a role in the maintenance of plasma n-3 PUFA profile in humans with consequent desirable health effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imbalances in dietary fat intakes are linked to several chronic diseases. This study describes dietary intakes and food sources of fat and fatty acids in 1051 Irish adults (aged 18–90 years), using data from the 2011 national food consumption survey, the National Adult Nutrition Survey. It also compares current intakes for 18–64-year-olds with those reported in the last such survey in 2001, the North/South Ireland Food Consumption Survey. Dietary fat intakes were estimated using data from 4-d semi-weighed (2011) and 7-d estimated (2001) food diaries. In 2011, intakes for 18–64-year-olds were as follows: total fat, 34·1 (sd 6·1) % total energy (%TE); SFA, 13·3 (sd 3·3) %TE; MUFA, 12·5 (sd 2·6) %TE; PUFA, 6·1 (sd 2·2) %TE; and trans-fat, 0·511 (sd 0·282) %TE. Apart from MUFA, intakes decreased (P<0·001) compared with 2001. There was no statistically significant difference in intakes of EPA and DHA by 18–64-year-olds in 2011 (269·0 (sd 515·0) mg/d) and 2001 (279·1 (sd 497·5) mg/d). In 2011, adults aged >65 years had the highest intakes of SFA; however, intakes were typically higher than UK-recommended values for all groups. In contrast, intakes of long-chain n-3 fatty acids were lowest in younger age groups. Intakes of trans-fat were well within UK-recommended levels. Although there have been some improvements in the profile of intakes since 2001, imbalances persist in the quantity and quality of dietary fat consumed by Irish adults, most notably for total and SFA and for younger age groups for long-chain n-3 fatty acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we aimed to detect the comprehensive fatty acid (FA) profile in human milk, including total fatty acids (total FAs), Sn-2 fatty acids (Sn-2 FAs), and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), and further analyzed the influence of the sampling regions on human milk FA profile. The results showed that oleic acid (C18:1n9c), palmitic acid (C16:0), and linoleic acid (C18:2n6c) were the main FA species in total FAs, and Sn-2 C16:0 was the dominant Sn-2 FA species. Moreover, the PLFAs were mainly comprised of PL C16:0, PL stearic acid (PL C18:0), PL C18:1n9c, and PL C18:2n6c. Furthermore, FAs showed geographical differences, such as the highest content of linolenic acid (C18:3n3) and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n3) of total FAs was observed in Lanzhou and Weihai, respectively. Therefore, these results provide more FA data for the Chinese human milk database, and further enrich the theoretical information for the development of infant formula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]