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An in vivo 13 C magnetic resonance spectroscopic study of the relationship between diet and adipose tissue composition
Author(s) -
Thomas E. L.,
Frost G.,
Barnard M. L.,
Bryant D. J.,
TaylorRobinson S. D.,
Simbrunner J.,
Coutts G. A.,
Burl M.,
Bloom S. R.,
Sales K. D.,
Bell J. D.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
lipids
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.601
H-Index - 120
eISSN - 1558-9307
pISSN - 0024-4201
DOI - 10.1007/bf02522613
Subject(s) - adipose tissue , lipidology , clinical chemistry , medicine , composition (language) , endocrinology , polyunsaturated fatty acid , omnivore , chemistry , cholesterol , fatty acid , in vivo , food science , biology , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , linguistics , paleontology , philosophy , predation
Abstract 13 C magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a noninvasive technique used in the study of lipids. We applied 13 C MRS to assess the effects of long‐term dietary variation on adipose tissue composition in humans. In vivo 13 C MRS was used to analyze the fatty acid composition of adipose tissue in 88 healthy volunteers with significantly different diets (38 vegans, 11 vegetarians, and 39 omnivores) assessed by analysis of dietary records. Results were compared with the serum lipid profile. 13 C MRS revealed clear differences in the adipose tissue composition of vegans, which contained more unsaturated ( P <0.01) and fewer saturated fatty acids ( P <0.01) compared with omnivores and vegetarians. The vegan subjects had a significantly lower intake of saturated fatty acids and higher intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids than either the omnivore or the vegetarian groups ( P <0.01). These findings were associated with significantly lower levels of serum total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein‐cholesterol in the vegan group compared with the omnivores. Our results demonstrate the use of 13 C MRS for the noninvasive study of adipose tissue composition and its application to the study of the interaction between long‐term dietary and metabolic risk factors in humans.