Ps-c06-6: long-chain fatty acids in sarcopenia patients with cardiovascular diseases importance of n-9 monounsaturated fatty acids

Background: Long chain fatty acids are essential components of energy supply, cellular membranes and autacoid synthesis. It was suggested that long chain fatty acids might be involved in pathophysiology underlying sarcopenia. Therefore, we investigated the association between sarcopenia and serum long chain fatty acid profile in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Methods: We retrospectively investigated 308 cardiovascular patients (age: 72 ± 12, 174 males) admitted in our hospital. All patients were examined sarcopenia diagnostic tests and serum free fatty acids analysis. Results: Seventy-seven patients (25%) were diagnosed as sarcopenia. Serum fatty acid weight percentages of nervonic acid and erucic acid (n-9 long chain monounsaturated fatty acids) increased in sarcopenia patients than non-sarcopenia patients, while most of other long chain fatty acids weight percentages decreased in sarcopenia patients. Nervonic acid, which was an independent factor for sarcopenia on binary logistics regression analysis (B = 2.559, p < 0.001), correlated negatively with skeletal muscle index (r = -0.331, p < 0.001), gait speed (r = -0.387, p < 0.001), and handgrip strength (r = -0.372, p < 0.001). These significant relationships were certified in the groups of men, women, younger (≦ 73 years old), and elder (≧ 74 years old). On ROC curve analysis, the cut-off of nervonic acid weight percentage for diagnosis of sarcopenia was 1.37% with a sensitivity and specificity of 76.6% and 65.1%, respectively. Conclusions: Nervonic acid, a n-9 monounsaturated fatty acid, could be a new marker for sarcopenia in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Further study with large patient number is necessary to determine the roles of long chain fatty acids in sarcopenia.