Validation study of fatty acid consumption assessed with a short food frequency questionnaire against plasma concentration in middle-aged Japanese people

Abstract

Objective : To assess the relative validity of data for consumption of fatty acids (FAs) measured with a short food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in comparison with plasma concentration of FAs. Design : In this cross-sectional study, completed FFQs were secured from 177 (92 male and 85 female) employees working for a company in August 2001. Intake of FAs was assessed with the FFQ, and the values were validated against FA concentration in plasma in overnight-fasting blood. Results : Mean±SD daily intakes of total fatty acids (TFAs) were 44.4±8.0 g day -1 for men and 42.9±7.2 g day -1 for women. Plasma concentration of TFAs were 12.73±3.78mmol l -1 for men and 10.54±1.75 mmol l -1 for women. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients, unadjusted and energy-adjusted by the energy-density method and residual method, for n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) were 0.37 ( p <0.001), 0.38 ( p <0.001) and 0.40 ( p <0.001) for men, and 0.41 ( p <0.001), 0.26 ( p <0.01) and 0.29 ( p <0.01) for women, respectively. Conclusions : Relative validity values of data for intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) for women and n-3 HUFAs in both genders, assessed with the FFQ compared with FA concentration in plasma, were moderate, but no significant associations were found for saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids or n-6 PUFAs. © 2006 Taylor & Francis.