Associations between %AA (20:4 n6) and Relative Amounts of Other Body Fatty Acids

Abstract

Body fatty acids are important in health and disease. Previously, we reported a positive association between % AA (20:4 n6) and relative amounts of EPA (20:5 n3) and of some other fatty acids. We now study positive and negative correlations in general between %AA and percentages of other fatty acids, as observed in chicken breast muscle. Two groups of fatty acids were identified: Group 1) with relative amounts correlating negatively with %AA, and Group 2) with relative amounts correlating positively with %AA. With the positive correlations, but not with the negative ones, we obtained similar scatterplots using true and random numbers. This apparent discrepancy is probably related to differences in skewness of the concentration distribution of some fatty acids. Most of Group 2 fatty acids are eicosanoid or docosanoid precursors. The overall correlation outcome may be largely explained by the particular concentration ranges of the fatty acids. We therefore suggest Distribution Dependent Correlations to be an evolutionary regulatory principle, possibly ensuring balance between various eicosanoids and docosanoids.