INTAKE AND SOURCES OF ALPHA-LINOLENIC ACID IN DUTCH ELDERLY MEN

Objective: Intake of alpha-linolenic acid may have a beneficial effect on coronary heart disease, but little information is available on the intake and sources of alpha-linolenic acid (C18:3 n - 3) in populatio ns. We therefore assessed intake and sources of alpha-linolenic acid i n Dutch elderly men. Design and Subjects: Dietary histories were obtai ned from participants of the Zutphen Elderly Study, a Dutch cohort stu dy. Food consumption data were available from 876 men in 1985 and from 541 of the same men in 1990. Daily intakes of alpha-linolenic acid we re assessed using a food table developed for this purpose. Alpha-linol enic acid content of edible fats, seafood and some commonly eaten dish es were mainly derived from chemical analyses of Dutch foods, and othe r values were obtained from published food tables. Results: Alpha-lino lenic acid provided 0.5 +/- 0.1% of energy intake (mean +/- s.d.) or 1 .30 +/- 0.46 g/day in 1985, and 1.21 +/- 0.52 g/day in 1990. The Pears on correlation coefficient for intake of alpha-linolenic acid in 1985 and 1990 was 0.34. Margarines were the main source (25.4%), followed b y meat and the fats used in cooking meat (10.8%), bread (9.8%) and veg etables (7.8%). Conclusions: An increase in intake of alpha-linolenic acid, is most easily realized by the use of unhydrogenated oils rich i n alpha-linolenic acid such as rapeseed and soybean oil, and of margar ines and other fats containing such oils. Sponsorship: This research w as supported by the Dutch 'Praeventie Fonds', The Hague, the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, and the Department of Human Nutrition, Wageningen Agricultural University.