Table 2 Whole blood fatty acids and indices in subjects aged 46 days to 19 years without acute, chronic, or inflammatory disease

16:0

23.32

23.52

22.64 24.01

22.81

22.63

22.44 23.18

23.19

23.01

22.78 23.60

18:0

11.35

11.45

10.90 11.80

12.10^a

12.02

11.80 12.41

12.26^b

12.27

11.93 12.59

18:1n9

21.88

21.72

20.93 22.83

19.88^c

19.49

19.09 20.68

18.88^c

18.20

18.09 19.67

LA

20.36

20.29

19.57 21.15

21.14

21.00

20.44 21.84

20.86

21.10

20.19 21.54

DGLA

1.23

1.25

1.14 1.32

1.58^c

1.59

1.50 1.65

1.54^c

1.54

1.46 1.63

AA

8.22

8.41

7.69 8.76

9.59^c

9.78

9.20 9.98

9.82^c

9.92

9.48 10.16

ALA

0.47

0.41

0.36 0.58

0.21^c

0.19

0.19 0.24

0.19^c

0.17

0.17 0.21

EPA

0.30

0.29

0.25 0.36

0.31

0.27

0.26 0.36

0.28

0.26

0.24 0.35

DHA

2.07

2.03

1.82 2.33

1.85

1.78

1.69 2.01

1.85

1.82

1.69 2.02

Total SFA

38.91

38.70

37.79 40.02

38.82

38.64

38.22 39.41

39.48

39.39

38.80 40.16

Total MUFA

26.30

26.39

25.36 27.24

23.92^c

23.54

23.12 24.72

23.30^c

22.73

22.53 24.08

Total PUFA

34.80

34.98

33.71 35.88

37.26^b

37.49

36.34 38.19

37.22^b

37.21

36.33 38.11

Total n6-PUFA

31.26

31.70

30.26 32.26

34.19^c

34.64

33.29 35.09

34.21^c

33.97

33.41 35.01

Total n3-PUFA

3.45

3.50

3.13 3.77

2.98^a

2.91

2.76 3.20

2.91^a

2.89

2.69 3.13

 PUFA balance¹

6.79

6.46

6.04 7.54

5.81

5.52

5.29 6.32

5.70

5.49

5.24 6.17

 SCD(18)²

1.98

1.83

1.82 2.14

1.66^b

1.60

1.57 1.75

1.56^c

1.53

1.47 1.66

 FADS2³

6.18

6.56

5.63 6.72

7.57^c

7.74

7.16 7.98

7.52^b

7.30

7.02 8.02

 FADS1⁴

6.91

6.73

6.39 7.44

6.19^a

6.15

5.90 6.48

6.50

6.52

6.20 6.80

 AA/DHA

4.51

4.19

3.95 5.07

5.67^b

5.68

5.23 6.11

5.82^b

5.39

5.25 6.39

 AA/EPA

34.90

30.21

28.33 41.46

41.53

34.79

34.88 48.19

42.86

38.32

36.77 48.95

 n6/n3

9.89

9.14

8.90 10.88

12.43^b

12.31

11.48 13.39

12.58^b

11.87

11.58 13.58