Relationship between estimated desaturase enzyme activity and metabolic syndrome in a longitudinal study.

Desaturase enzyme activities (DEA) are associated with several metabolic diseases. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between estimated plasma DEA and the metabolic syndrome (MetS), as well as their relationship with individual components of the MetS. We conducted a longitudinal study of 148 participants recruited at random from the PREDIMED trial (Hospital Clinic site). At baseline and after 1 year of follow-up, DEA were estimated from product/precursor ratios of individual plasma fatty acids. Logistic regressions were used to assess the relationship of estimated DEA MetS, adjusted for potential cofounders. Estimated Δ5 desaturase (D5D) activity was associated with lower risk of MetS, whereas stearoyl-CoA (SCD)-16 and SCD-18 were negatively associated with MetS status. SCD-16, SCD-18, and Δ6 desaturase (D6D) were positively associated with triglycerides, SCD-18 was inversely associated with HDL-cholesterol. Estimated D6D activity was found to be associated with increases in diastolic blood pressure. In contrast, D5D was negatively associated with triglycerides, diastolic blood pressure and waist circumference. The present longitudinal study suggests that estimated SCD-16, SCD-18, and D6D have a negative impact in MetS and its components, whereas D5D may have beneficial effects for metabolic health.
Competing Interests: Author ER reports grants, personal fees, non-financial and other from the California Walnut Commission while the study was carried out; grants, personal fees, non-financial support and other from Alexion; and personal fees and other from Amarin, outside the submitted work. Author RL-R reports personal fees from Cerveceros de España, personal fees and other from Adventia, Wine in Moderation, Ecoveritas S.A., outside the submitted work. Author RE reports grants from the Fundación Dieta Mediterránea (Spain), and Cerveza y Salud (Spain), and personal fees for given lectures from Brewers of Europe (Belgium), the Fundación Cerveza y Salud (Spain), Pernaud-Ricard (Mexico), Instituto Cervantes (Alburquerque, United States), Instituto Cervantes (Milan, Italy), Instituto Cervantes (Tokyo, Japan), Lilly Laboratories (Spain), and the Wine and Culinary International Forum (Spain), as well as non-financial support for the organization of a National Congress on Nutrition and feeding trials with products from Grand Fountain and Uriach Laboratories (Spain). The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2022 Domínguez-López, Arancibia-Riveros, Tresserra-Rimbau, Castro-Barquero, Casas, Vázquez-Ruiz, Ros, Fitó, Estruch, López-Sabater and Lamuela-Raventós.)