Integrating PUFA measurements and statystical analysis

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are known to be useful for preventing various cardiovascular diseases. However, most of them need to be ingested as food since they cannot be synthesized by our body. This is particularly true for the so called ω-6 and ω-3 families of PUFAs which are also termed essential fatty acids (EFA) and play a prophylactic role in cardiovascular diseases [1]. Aim of the research project reported here is the development of a coordinated measurement protocolsoftware package aimed at determining the value of the so called “zona test” (a popular index given by the ratio of the concentration of ω-6 and ω-3) and other risk factors in cardiovascular diseases. To this end within the project a specific measurement protocol and an ad hoc computational procedure have been developed and implemented. The developed measurement protocol is of the microanalysis type which has been used for field test determinations of blood concentrations of the eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and the docoesanoic acid (HHA) of the ω-3 family and of the arachidonic acid (AA) of the ω-6 family among the Umbria population. The developed computational procedure is of the standard type combining both a simple and a complex statistical package to the end of offering a simple interface to the user and a powerful computational engine for the analysis. The investigation has been divided into a first preliminary and a second production phase. The preliminary phase has been based on an extended version of the questionnaire in order to select out of the possible questions those easier to handle for a more synthetic one. From the elaboration of data collected in the first phase a better designed questionnaire has been developed and more appropriate statistical parameter have been worked out. At the same time also the analytical protocol was improved with respect to the one available from the literature with the purpose of using smaller quantities and better working conditions. The values obtained from the investigation for the zona test were compared with other factors including concentrations of single blood components or more complex indicators like the so called IRC (cardiovascular risk index). Results obtained were correlated with sex, age, total cholesterol and its HDL and LDL fractions. [1] Sears B. La zona omega 3, RV Sperling e Kupfer Editori, 2002