Comparative Analysis of Monounsaturated Fatty Acids in the Peripheral Blood of Residents of Different Climatic Regions

Abstract

Disordered endogenous synthesis as well as changes in the quantity and qualitative composition of fatty acids in the diet can become pathogenetic factors in a number of metabolic diseases. The purpose of this article was a comparative analysis of the content of monounsaturated fatty acids (palmitoleic, elaidic, oleic, gondoic, erucic and nervonic) in the peripheral blood of residents of different climatic regions. Materials and methods. The research was conducted between 2008 and 2018 and involved 697 subjects aged 22 to 60 years. Depending on the region of permanent residence, all the participants were divided into three groups: 1) residents of the Arctic region (AR); 2) people living in the circumpolar region (CR); 3) residents of the South Caucasus (SC). The level of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) in the blood serum was evaluated using gas-liquid chromatography. Results. The analysis of the data obtained demonstrates that the total concentration of MUFAs in the peripheral blood of AR and CR residents is statistically significantly lower compared to the people of SC. In particular, northerners showed lower concentrations of palmitoleic, oleic and gondoic acids. Moreover, in the AR group, the level of elaidic acid was higher than in the SC group, while the concentration of erucic acid was lower than in the CR and SC groups. In terms of nervonic acid, a statistically significantly lower content was detected in SC residents compared to the CR group, while the probability of differences between SC and AR residents was at the trend level. Thus, extreme factors of the North cause adaptive rearrangements in fat metabolism at the level of major and minor fatty acid components. At the same time, the changes are closely linked with the structure of nutrition and can be attributed to an unbalanced diet.