Plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids and liver enzymes in HIV-infected subjects: the prospective urban and rural epidemiology (PURE) study

Background: Omega-6 (n–6) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake was previously reported to be adversely related to liver function in HIV-infected subjects, when compared with HIV-uninfected subjects, in a black population in South Africa. It was speculated that the use of heavily oxidized vegetable fats (abused fats) could have been responsible. Objectives: The objectives were to investigate the relation between plasma total PUFA concentrations (a marker of PUFA intake) and liver enzymes in HIV-infected asymptomatic compared with HIVuninfected black South Africans and to investigate the reuse of oil and the use of abused oils. Design: This was a case-control study nested in an epidemiologic study in 305 HIV-infected cases and 301 HIV-uninfected matched controls (matched according to location, sex, and age), as part of the PURE (Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology) Study, a prospective cohort study that includes a representative sample of 2000 apparently healthy black volunteers, aged between 36 and 60 y, from the North West Province of South Africa. Results: Plasma total omega-6 PUFA concentrations were negatively (P , 0.05) associated with liver enzymes (c-glutamyl transpeptidase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotranferase, and alkaline phosphatase) in both HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected subjects (r values ranged from 20.22 to 20.56). Almost all subjects (99%) reported that they did not buy oil that had been used before. Oil was only used a mean (6SD) of 2.23 6 0.85 times for deep frying before being discarded. Conclusions: The adverse relations between omega-6 PUFA intake and liver enzymes that were previously shown could not be confirmed in this study. In contrast, plasma omega-6 PUFA concentration was inversely related to liver enzymes in both HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected subjects. Subjects in this study did not use abused fats, which could partly explain these findings