3.3. Changes in Fatty Acid Distribution in Erythrocyte Lipids per Diet Group Subdivided into Subgroups by Sex, EPA Status, and LA Change over the Intervention Period
To evaluate the conversion rate of ALA into its long-chain metabolites, we examined the influence of the following three influencing factors: sex (men vs. women), EPA status at baseline (<0.9% FAME vs. ≥0.9% FAME), and LA change throughout the study period (<1.5% FAME vs. ≥1.5% FAME). The subgroups mentioned above were formed within the four diet groups (A sex-specific difference was only observed for the DPA concentration in the LLA group, which increased significantly in men and remained unchanged in women.According to EPA status, the subdivision shows that increases in both ETA and EPA were more pronounced at low EPA status than at high EPA status. In contrast, the DHA and The change in LA concentration throughout the study seems to have less of an impact, as only a few independent significant changes were observed. As expected, the increase in LA differs between the LA change ≥1.5% FAME subgroup and the LA change <1.5% FAME subgroup (Independent of sex or EPA status (EPA baseline status: <0.9 vs. <0.9% FAME), the comparison of diet groups shows a higher increase in DPA and a lower decrease in DHA and the 