Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34225361›Full record

ArticleThe American journal of clinical nutrition2021

Associations between fatty acid composition in serum cholesteryl esters and liver fat, basal fat oxidation, and resting energy expenditure: a population-based study.

Michael Fridén, Fredrik Rosqvist, Joel Kullberg, Håkan Ahlström, Lars Lind, Ulf Risérus

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 24% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  6. Mortality and Cancer in Offspring of Mothers With Biopsy-Proven MASLD During Pregnancy: A Nationwide Cohort Study.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Michael FridénDepartment of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Fredrik RosqvistDepartment of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Joel KullbergDepartment of Surgical Sciences, Radiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Håkan AhlströmDepartment of Surgical Sciences, Radiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Lars LindDepartment of Medical Sciences, Clinical Epidemiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0003-2335-8542
Ulf RisérusDepartment of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Uppsala University · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWe have repeatedly shown in short-term feeding trials that a high intake of dietary n-6 PUFAs, i.e. linoleic acid, prevents liver fat accumulation compared with saturated fat. However, population-based data is lacking and the mechanisms behind such effects are unclear.

objectiveTo investigate associations between serum cholesteryl ester (CE) fatty acids and liver fat, basal fat oxidation [respiratory quotient (RQ)], and resting energy expenditure (REE). We hypothesized that PUFA in particular is inversely associated with liver fat and that such a relation is partly explained by a PUFA-induced increase in basal fat oxidation or REE.

methodsCross-sectional analyses using linear regression models in a population-based cohort with data on serum CE fatty acid composition and liver fat (n = 308).

resultsLinoleic acid (18:2n-6) (β = -0.03, 95% CI: -0.06, -0.001) and Δ5 desaturase index were inversely associated, whereas, γ-linolenic acid (18:3n-6) (β = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.28, 0.90), dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (20:3n-6) (β = 1.20, 95% CI: 0.65, 1.75), arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) (β = 0.08, 95% CI: 0.002, 0.16), palmitoleic acid (16:1n-7) (β = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.70), Δ6 desaturase, and stearoyl CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1) index were directly associated with liver fat after adjustment for confounders. Several serum CE fatty acids were correlated with both liver fat and REE, but only the association between DHA (22:6n-3) and liver fat was clearly attenuated after adjustment for REE (from β = -0.63 95% CI: -1.24, -0.02 to β = -0.34, 95% CI: -0.95, 0.27). Palmitoleic acid and SCD-1 were weakly inversely correlated with RQ but could not explain a lower liver fat content.

conclusionsSeveral serum CE fatty acids are associated with liver fat, among them linoleic acid. Although we identified novel associations between individual fatty acids and RQ and REE, our findings imply that PUFAs might prevent liver fat accumulation through mechanisms other than enhanced whole-body energy metabolism.

Indexed as

Energy MetabolismAdipose TissueBody CompositionCholesterol EstersCross-Sectional StudiesFatty AcidsFemaleHumansLiverMaleMiddle AgedOxidation-ReductionCholesterol EstersFatty Acidscholesteryl estersenergy expenditurefat oxidationfatty acid compositionliver fatrespiratory quotient

Identifiers

PMID34225361
PMCPMC8574708
OpenAlexW3180203440

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.