Erythrocyte trans-fatty acids, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors in middle-aged and older Chinese individuals.

ABSTRACT

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Few data are available about intakes and food sources of trans-fatty acids (TFAs) or their associations with cardiometabolic outcomes in Asian people who consume a prudent diet but are experiencing rapid nutritional transitions. We aimed to investigate the relationships between TFA biomarkers and type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors in Chinese individuals. METHODS: Erythrocyte fatty acids were measured by gas chromatography among 3,107 men and women (50-70 years) recruited from urban and rural areas in Beijing and Shanghai, China. RESULTS: Total trans-181 and two trans-182 isomers were detected and accounted for 0.37% of the total fatty acids in the erythrocytes. Concentrations of TFAs were higher in women than men, and in urban than rural residents. Of the TFAs, trans-181, but not trans-182, showed a modest association with dairy consumption (ß = 0.27), but not with other foods. After adjustment for BMI, social-demographic, lifestyle and dietary factors and other TFAs, erythrocyte trans-181 was shown to be associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes (OR comparing extreme [first and fourth] quartiles 0.68, 95% CI 0.48, 0.97, p(trend) = 0.02), as well as 20-50% lower odds of central obesity, dyslipidaemia, hyperglycaemia, insulin resistance and chronic inflammation. In contrast, trans-182 fatty acids were positively associated with high triacylglycerol (p(trend) < 0.001) and LDL-cholesterol (p(trend) = 0.03) levels, but not with diabetes and other cardiometabolic risk factors. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Among middle-aged and older Chinese individuals with overall low erythrocyte TFAs levels, trans-181 might serve as a marker of dairy intake. Higher trans-181 levels were associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, whereas higher trans-182 levels were associated with dyslipidaemia.