Plasma Elaidic Acid Level as Biomarker of Industrial Trans Fatty Acids and Risk of Weight Change: Report from the EPIC Study

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 10; no. 2; p. e0118206
• Main Authors: Chajès, Véronique, Biessy, Carine, Ferrari, Pietro, Romieu, Isabelle, Freisling, Heinz, Huybrechts, Inge, Scalbert, Augustin, Bueno de Mesquita, Bas, Romaguera, Dora, Gunter, Marc J., Vineis, Paolo, Hansen, Camilla Plambeck, Jakobsen, Marianne Uhre, Clavel-Chapelon, Françoise, Fagherazzi, Guy, Boutron-Ruault, Marie-Christine, Katzke, Verana, Neamat-Allah, Jasmine, Boeing, Heiner, Bachlechner, Ursula, Trichopoulou, Antonia, Naska, Androniki, Orfanos, Philippos, Pala, Valeria, Masala, Giovanna, Mattiello, Amalia, Skeie, Guri, Weiderpass, Elisabete, Agudo, Antonio, Huerta, Jose Maria, Ardanaz, Eva, Sánchez, Maria Jose, Dorronsoro, Miren, Quirós, Jose Ramon, Johansson, Ingegerd, Winkvist, Anna, Sonested, Emily, Key, Tim, Khaw, Kay-Tee, Wareham, Nicolas J., Peeters, Petra H.M., Slimani, Nadia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 12.02.2015; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: ADIPOSE-TISSUE; Alcohol use; Alcoholic beverages; ASSOCIATIONS; Bioindicators; Biomarkers; Body weight gain; Body weight loss; BODY-WEIGHT; CANCER; Clinical Medicine; Confidence intervals; DIET; Endocrinology and Diabetes; Endokrinologi och diabetes; Epidemiology; Europe; Fatty acids; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Food; Food processing; Food sources; Health care; Health risk assessment; Hormones; Humans; Hygiene; Klinisk medicin; Male; Medical and Health Sciences; Medical disciplines: 700; Medical research; Medical statistics; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Medisinske Fag: 700; Metabolism; Monounsaturated fatty acids; Multidisciplinary Sciences; Nutrition; Nutrition research; NUTRITION TRANSITION; OBESITY; Obesity - epidemiology; Obesity - etiology; Oleic Acid - blood; Oleic Acids; PARTICIPANTS; Physical activity; Population; Preventive medicine; Primary care; PROCESSED FOODS; Prospective Studies; Public health; Public Health Surveillance; RATIONALE; Regression models; Risk; Risk reduction; Smoking; Statistical analysis; Surveys and Questionnaires; Trans fats; Trans fatty acids; Trans Fatty Acids - metabolism; VDP; Weight loss; Womens health; Europe; Greece; Sweden; Netherlands; United Kingdom > UK; Norway; Arctic region; Denmark; Italy; France; Aarhus Denmark; Germany; Spain
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118206

Few epidemiological studies have examined the association between dietary trans fatty acids and weight gain, and the evidence remains inconsistent. The main objective of the study was to investigate the prospective association between biomarker of industrial trans fatty acids and change in weight within the large study European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. Baseline plasma fatty acid concentrations were determined in a representative EPIC sample from the 23 participating EPIC centers. A total of 1,945 individuals were followed for a median of 4.9 years to monitor weight change. The association between elaidic acid level and percent change of weight was investigated using a multinomial logistic regression model, adjusted by length of follow-up, age, energy, alcohol, smoking status, physical activity, and region. In women, doubling elaidic acid was associated with a decreased risk of weight loss (odds ratio (OR) = 0.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.55-0.88, p = 0.002) and a trend was observed with an increased risk of weight gain during the 5-year follow-up (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 0.97-1.56, p = 0.082) (p-trend<.0001). In men, a trend was observed for doubling elaidic acid level and risk of weight loss (OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.66-1.01, p = 0.062) while no significant association was found with risk of weight gain during the 5-year follow-up (OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.88-1.33, p = 0.454). No association was found for saturated and cis-monounsaturated fatty acids. These data suggest that a high intake of industrial trans fatty acids may decrease the risk of weight loss, particularly in women. Prevention of obesity should consider limiting the consumption of highly processed foods, the main source of industrially-produced trans fatty acids.