ORIGINAL ARTICLE Fatty Acid Content of Plasma Triglycerides May Contribute to the Heterogeneity in the Relationship Between Abdominal Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome Juan C. Aristizabal, MSc, PhD, 1,2 Jacqueline Barona, MSc, PhD, 3 Laura I. Gonzalez-Zapata, MSc, PhD, 2,4 Gloria C. Deossa, MSc, 2 and Alejandro Estrada, MSc 2,5 Abstract Background: About one-third of the people with abdominal obesity do not exhibit the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Fatty acids in plasma triglycerides (TGs) may help to explain part of this heterogeneity. This study compared TG fatty acid profile of adults with and without abdominal obesity and examined the associations of these fatty acids with MetS components. Methods: Fifty-four abdominally obese subjects were matched by age and sex with 54 adults without abdominal obesity. People were classified with MetS according to the harmonizing criteria for MetS. Fatty acids in plasma TGs were analyzed by gas chromatography. Results: There were no differences in fatty acids of plasma TGs between people with and without abdominal obesity. However, there were differences between abdominally obese people with and without MetS. The abdominally obese group with MetS had higher palmitic (+2.9%; P = 0.012) and oleic (+4.0%; P = 0.001) acids and lower linoleic (-6.4%; P = 0.018) and arachidonic (-1.2%; P = 0.004) acids. After adjustment for abdominal obesity, age, and sex, a stepwise regression analysis showed that palmitic acid positively contributed to the variance in insulin (b =+1.08 – 1.01; P = 0.000) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index (b =+1.09 – 1.01; P = 0.000) and myristic acid positively contributed to the variance in systolic blood pressure (b =+1.09 – 1.03; P = 0.006). In contrast, linoleic acid negatively contributed to the variance in glucose (b =-0.321 – 0.09; P = 0.001) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP; b =-1.05 – 1.01; P = 0.000). Conclusions: There were no differences in the plasma TG fatty acid profile between people with and without abdominal obesity. Likewise, fatty acids in plasma TGs associated with many of the MetS variables inde- pendently of abdominal obesity. These results suggest that the plasma TG fatty acid profile may help to explain part of the heterogeneity between abdominal obesity and the MetS. Introduction A bdominal obesity induces changes in plasma fatty acid concentration that are related to the metabolic syndrome (MetS) components. 1,2 Plasma fatty acids are transported in four different fractions: triglycerides (TGs), phospholipids, cholesterol esters, and free fatty acids (FFAs). 3 An augment in FFA concentration, derived from increased lipolysis in adipose tissue, promotes ectopic lipid accumula- tion and insulin resistance (IR). 4,5 This is one of the proposed mechanisms by which abdominal obesity contributes to the MetS development. However, the fatty acids contained in 1 Grupo de Investigacio ´n en Fisiologı ´a y Bioquı ´mica (PHYSIS), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellı ´n, Colombia. 2 Escuela de Nutricio ´n y Diete ´tica, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellı ´n, Colombia. 3 Grupo de Ofidismo, Lı ´nea de alternativas terape ´uticas y alimentarias. Escuela de Microbiologı ´a. Universidad de Antioquia, Medellı ´n, Colombia. 4 Grupo de Investigacio ´n en Determinantes Sociales y Econo ´micos de la Salud y la Nutricio ´n, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellı ´n, Colombia. 5 Grupo de Investigacio ´n en Demografı ´a y Salud, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellı ´n, Colombia. METABOLIC SYNDROME AND RELATED DISORDERS Volume XX, Number XX, 2016 Ó Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Pp. 1–7 DOI: 10.1089/met.2015.0168 1