Presence of alkylresorcinols, potential whole grain biomarkers, in human adipose tissue

Abstract

Alkylresorcinols (AR) in plasma samples have been suggested to be short- to medium-term biomarkers of whole grain wheat and rye intake. In the present study, we investigated whether AR are present in human adipose tissues, and if content correlated with long-term whole grain bread intake. Furthermore, we investigated if the relative AR homologue composition reflected what has been found previously in the habitual diet of Swedes. Biopsy samples (10–25 mg) from free-living Swedish women (n 20) were analysed by GC–MS. The mean total AR concentration in the samples was 0·54 (sd 0·35) μg/g, ranging from below limit of quantification ( < 0·08 μg/g) to 1·50 μg/g. Whole grain bread intake was significantly correlated with plasma total AR content (r 0·48, P < 0·05), and the C17 : 0/C21 : 0 ratio was 0·35 (sd 0·24), which is similar to what is found in plasma among free-living subjects consuming a mixed whole grain wheat and rye diet. These results suggest that AR in the adipose tissue should be evaluated as a long-term biomarker of whole grain wheat and rye intake.