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Background: Assessing fatty acid (FA) composition in relation to inflammatory markers can shed light on the role of different FA and their metabolism in low-grade inflammation. Existing exploratory studies in children are scarce, and findings inconsistent. We hence aim to analyse associations of FA with common inflammatory markers, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), in 10-year-old children. Methods: Complete data were available for 958 participants from the 10-year follow-up of the LISAplus birth cohort study. FA composition was assessed in serum glycerophospholipids. Hs-CRP and IL-6 were categorized into 3 levels. Associations of FA with inflammatory markers were assessed using multinomial logistic regression, adjusting for potential confounders. Additionally, sex-stratified analyses were carried out.

Results: FA exposures associated with significantly higher low-grade inflammation, as indicated by higher hs-CRP or IL-6 levels, included: palmitic acid (PA)(IL-6: p< 0.001, 95% confidence interval: 1.30; 2.43), arachidonic acid (AA)(hs-CRP: p= 0.002, 1.07; 1.31), n-6 highly-unsaturated FA (HUFA)(hs-CRP: p= 0.002, 1.06; 1.27), ratio of AA to linoleic acid (AA/LA)(hs-CRP: p< 0.001, 1.16; 1.62), and total saturated FA (SFA)(IL-6: p< 0.001, 1.77; 3.15). FA exposures associated with reduced levels of inflammatory markers included: linoleic acid (LA)(hs. CRP: p= 0.001, 0.84; 0.96, IL-6: p< 0.001, 0.69; 0.90) and total polyunsaturated FA (PUFA)(p< 0.001, 0.57; 0.78). Conclusions: These findings suggest that higher SFA and minor n-6 HUFA, namely PA and AA, are associated with increased low-grade inflammation in …