STATUS OF POLYUNSATURATED FATTY-ACIDS IN SERUM OF PERSONS AGED 10-72 IN NEPAL

The fatty acid composition of serum was measured for persons aged 10-7 2 (42 males and 38 females) living in southeastern Nepal. The mean amo unts of PUFA and n-6 PUFA were significantly higher for males (79.8 an d 72.7 mg/100 ml, respectively) than for females (68.9 and 62.3 mg/ml, respectively) (p < 0.05). The ratio of PUFA/SFA (0.92 and 0.88 for ma les and females, respectively) and of n-3/n-6 PUFA (0.093 and 0.104) w ere about the same for both sexes. The percentages of PUFA and MUFA we re 31.6 and 33. 0% for males and 30.4 and 34.4% for females, respectiv ely, and the percentage of PUFA showed an inverse correlation with tha t of MUFA (r = -0.82, p < 0.001). The percentage of PUFA and the ratio of PUFA/SFA correlated inversely with the level of triglycerides (TG) (r = -0.39 and r = -0.41, p < 0.001, respectively), which showed a po sitive correlation with the level of oleic acid (18:1n-9) (r = 0.88, p < 0.001). These results revealed that when the TG level was high, the level of oleic acid was high but the PUFA percentage and the PUFA/SFA ratio were low. Thus, a tendency of essential fatty acid deficiency w as found with an increased TG level in the Nepalese people studied.