Dietary sources of linoleic acid (LA) differ by race/ethnicity in adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2017- 2018

Authors: MOMIN, SHABNAM - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); SENN, MACKENZIE - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); MANICHAIKUL, ANI - University Of Virginia; YANG, CHAOJIE - University Of Virginia; MATHIAS, RASIKA - Johns Hopkins University School Of Medicine; PHAN, MIMI - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); RICH, STEPHEN - University Of Virginia; SERGEANT, SUSAN - Wake Forest School Of Medicine; SEEDS, MICHAEL - Wake Forest School Of Medicine; REYNOLDS, LINDSAY - Wake Forest School Of Medicine; CHILTON, FLOYD - University Of Arizona; WOOD, ALEXIS - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)

Submitted to: Nutrients
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/5/2023
Publication Date: 6/16/2023
Citation: Momin, S.R., Senn, M.K., Manichaikul, A., Yang, C., Mathias, R., Phan, M., Rich, S.S., Sergeant, S., Seeds, M., Reynolds, L., Chilton, F.H., Wood, A.C. 2023. Dietary sources of linoleic acid (LA) differ by race/ethnicity in adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2017- 2018. Nutrients. 15(12). Article 2779. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15122779.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15122779

Interpretive Summary: A goal of the USDA, ARS concerns the need to continually monitor, understand, and update our information regarding the dietary intake of the US population. In particular, the USDA has developed an interest in monitoring the intake of subpopulations within the US, for example, those defined by gender, or by race/ethnicity. This critical activity can yield critical insights into any health disparities between these groups. Linoleic acid (LA) is an essential fatty acid found in the diet, which plays a role in the prevention of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases. Yet, the intakes of different foods containing LA, the extent that these foods contribute to an individual's overall LA intake, and whether there are differences between the race/ethnic groups in the US for these factors remains unstudied. By analyzing the large, national-representative dataset, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), this study examined racial and ethnic differences in the extent that each of nine food groups (dairy, eggs, fat, fish, fruits and vegetables, grains, meat, nuts and sweets) contributed to overall LA intake. Across these foods, eggs, grains, fruits and vegetables, meat, and fish each accounted for different proportion of overall LA intake according to racial/ethnic grouping. These findings indicate the food sources of LA in the diet differ by race/ethnicity, and some of these foods are considered beneficial for health (e.g., fish), while others are considered harmful (e.g., meat), warrant future investigations into whether this difference plays a role in health disparities.

Technical Abstract: Linoleic acid (LA) is a primary n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), which is of interest to nutritional professionals as it has been associated with health outcomes. However, as some LA-rich foods offer protection against chronic diseases such as CVD (e.g., fatty fish), while others increase risk (e.g., red meat), the individual foods contributing to LA intake may be an important factor to consider. Therefore, this analysis sought to examine whether there are racial/ethnic differences in the proportion of overall LA intake accounted for by individual food groups, via a cross-sectional analysis of 3,815 adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES; 2017-2018 cycle). Separate multivariable linear regressions models specified the proportion of overall LA intake attributable to each of the nine food groups (dairy, eggs, fat, fish, fruits and vegetables, grains, meat, nuts, and sweets) as the outcome, and race/ethnicity as the predictor, with age, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES) as covariates, in order to estimate whether there were mean differences by race/ethnicity in the proportion of overall LA intake attributable to each of these foods seperately. After a Bonferroni correction for multiple testing, eggs, grains, fruits and vegetables, meat, and fish each accounted for a different proportion of overall LA intake according to racial/ethnic grouping (all p<0.006 after a Bonferroni correction). These findings indicate the food sources of LA in the diet differ by race/ethnicity, and warrant future investigations into whether this plays a role in health disparities.