Abstract 189
Background. Treated HPA children show low levels of LCPUFA in circulating lipids. Aim. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study we investigated the effects of LCPUFA supplementation in a group of dietary treated HPA children of primary school age. Subjects and methods. Twenty subjects randomly subdivided into two groups (10 per group, comparable for age and gender distribution) were supplemented with 0.5 g fat caps/4 kg weight providing either 26% fatty acids as LCPUFA (18:3n-6 = 4.6%, 20:4n-6 = 7.4%, 20:5n-3 = 5.5%, 22:6 n-3 = 8%) or olive oil. Blood samples were obtained before and after 12-month supplementation. FA methyl esters of plasma total lipids and erythrocytes were determined by capillary gas-chromatography. Statistics Within- and between-group non-parametric tests. Results. A significant increase of both plasma and erythrocyte 22:6n-3 levels was observed in the LCPUFA-group compared to baseline. The LCPUFA-group had higher levels of 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 in both plasma and erythrocytes and non-significantly higher 20:4n-6 levels in plasma lipids compared to the placebo group.Conclusions. A balanced supplementation of LCPUFA restore the circulating LCPUFA levels, particularly n-3, in treated HPA children.
