Essential fatty acid deficiency in malnourished children.

Fatty acid patterns of major classes of lipids of serum were measured in forty Argentine children ages 2 to 24 months admitted to the hospital with chronic malnutrition. A normal control group of 48 children from the same population was also examined. Serum lipids were extracted and separated into phospholipids, cholesteryl esters, triglycerides, and free fatty acids. These were converted to methyl esters which were analyzed by gas chromatography. In chronic malnutrition, the fatty acid patterns of phospholipids and cholesteryl esters indicated changes characteristic of essential fatty acid deficiency of moderate degree. The total omega 6 acids were found to be highly significantly diminished from normal, and the ratio of 20:3 omega 9/20:4 omega 6 was highly significantly increased. Decreased proportions of omega 6 metabolites suggested impaired desaturase activity, and elevated ratios of 22:4 omega 6/20:4 omega 6 and 20:2 omega 6/18:2 omega 6 suggested increased chain elongation in chronic malnutrition.