Eicosapentaenoic acid/arachidonic acid ratio in Japanese junior high school students

Background This epidemiological study investigated the eicosapentaenoic acid/arachidonic acid ratio (EAR) and docosahexaenoic acid/ arachidonic acid ratio (DAR) in ninth-graders in Japan. Methods A total of 175 ninth-grade children from Tsunan Town (115 boys and 60 girls) were enrolled in the study between 2015 and 2017. All participants were assessed during annual health checkups to determine their EAR and DAR. All data were compared between boys and girls using the Mann-Whitney test. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to describe the strengths of correlations between the EAR, DAR, and relevant parameters. Results The median (minimum, maximum) EAR and DAR of all participants were 0.13 (0.05, 0.46) and 0.47 (0.25, 0.84), respectively. There was no significant difference in the EAR between boys and girls at 0.12 (0.05, 0.46) and 0.13 (0.06, 0.27) (P = 0.375), respectively. The DAR was not significantly different (P = 0.125). There was a significant positive correlation between EAR and triglyceride, body mass index, and homeostasis model assessment but a significantly negative correlation with HbA1c (r = -0.209, P = 0.006). In contrast, there was no significant correlation between DAR and any parameters. Conclusions This is the first epidemiological study investigating the EAR using a population-based cohort of Japanese adolescents. The EAR in boys/girls in Japan is 0.12 (0.05, 0.46)/0.13 (0.06, 0.27). The study results suggest that children with a healthy diet may generally have a lower average blood glucose level.