EFFECTS OF DIETARY FATTY-ACID SUPPLEMENTATION ON FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION AND DEFORMABILITY OF YOUNG AND OLD ERYTHROCYTES

The effects of cell age on erythrocyte phospholipid fatty-acid composi tion and deformability were examined in 20 healthy adults (11 male, 9 female) prior to and following 12 weeks of dietary supplementation wit h 3.5 g/day of safflower oil (high in n - 6 fatty acids) or fish oil ( high in n - 3 fatty acids). In the absence of dietary supplementation, old erythrocytes demonstrated an increase in filtration time (P < 0.0 01), an increase in membrane phospholipid total n - 6 fatty acids (P < 0.01), and a decrease in total n - 3/total n - 6 ratio (P < 0.01) com pared to young erythrocytes. Both safflower and fish oil supplementati on attenuated age-related differences in membrane phospholipid total n - 6 and total n - 3 fatty acids. Fish oil supplementation also increa sed the proportion of n - 3 fatty acids (P < 0.01) and the n - 3/n - 6 ratio (P < 0.05) in the phospholipids of both young and old erythrocy tes, and eliminated age-related differences in erythrocyte filtration time by reducing the relative filtration time of the old erythrocytes.