Plasma fatty acid composition predicts bone mineral accrual from childhood to adolescence: the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children study
Authors' conclusion
Plasma FA composition predicts bone mineral accrual from childhood to adolescence, implying that FA metabolism is important for healthy bone development since childhood.
Study context
- Population
- Children aged 7–9 yr followed from childhood to adolescence (Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children study)227 girls
- Participants
- 480 children
- Outcome
- Longitudinal associations of plasma phospholipid FA proportions and estimated desaturase and elongase activities with total body less head BMD (DXA)
- Follow-up
- Baseline, 2-yr, and 8-yr
Methodological detailsobservational, longitudinal, linear mixed-effects models, adjusted for sex, maturity offset, follow-up time, and lean mass (LM) or fat mass (FM)
- Observational
- Longitudinal
- Linear mixed-effects models
- Adjusted for sex, maturity offset, follow-up time, and LM or FM
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
BMD; associations independent of sex, maturity offset, follow-up time, LM, and FM · baseline to 8-yr follow-up
Linoleic acid proportion (decreased proportion associated with increased BMD), standardized β
−.023
p = .001
Dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid proportion, standardized β
.029
p < .001
Δ6-desaturase activity, standardized β
.032
p < .001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
BMD; associations partly explained by LM
- Nervonic acid proportion, β
- .018, p = .012
- Arachidonic acid proportion, β
- .019, p = .017
- Docosapentaenoic acid proportion, β
- .020, p = .013
BMD; associations partly explained by FM
- Arachidic acid proportion, β
- .022, p = .005
- Behenic acid proportion, β
- .018, p = .010
- Lignoceric acid proportion, β
- .015, p = .040
- Palmitoleic acid proportion, β
- .016, p = .013
- Stearoyl-CoA-desaturase activity, β
- .017, p = .009
- Elongase activity (decreased activity associated with increased BMD), β
- −.017, p = .023
Original publication
Plasma fatty acid composition predicts bone mineral accrual from childhood to adolescence: the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children study. J Bone Miner Res. Published 1 August 2025. doi:10.
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