Overweight and erythrocyte polyunsaturated fatty acid changes in menopause

Abstract Lipid disorders have been implicated in overweight and menopause. However, evidence on lipidomic analysis of fatty acids in erythrocytes of menopausal women is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the body mass index within or beyond 5 years of menopause and erythrocyte fatty acid profile. This case-control study was conducted on out of 37 menopausal women total patients, 22 with body mass index ≥ 25 and 12 matched controls (body mass index <25). Experimental procedures were performed on the blood through robotic equipment for isolation of erythrocyte and cell membrane fatty acids were analyzed by using gas-liquid chromatography. Results showed that erythrocyte membranes did not change significantly in lipid composition between case and control group. However, the percentage of women who had a physiological content of saturated fatty acids was lower in case than in control group, and the percentage of women who had a physiological content of monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids was lower in control than in case group. Woman with BMI>25 and non-physiological content of fatty acids, were richer in percentage of saturated fatty acids and poorer of monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids than women with BMI<25. The percentage of physiological n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated ratio was lower in women with BMI>25 than in women with BMI<25. Interestingly, the percentage of patients that had physiological values of lipids beyond 5 years of menopause increased in comparison patients within 5 years of menopause. Notably, n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids physiological ratio beyond 5 years of menopause increased in both case and control patients, indicating normalization over time. In conclusion erythrocytes fatty acids composition may be related to the body mass index and to the time from menopause.