Impact of cigarette smoking on the plasma fatty acid profile and their interaction in determining the burden of subclinical atherosclerosis

Background and aims Cigarette smoking is a well established determinant of carotid atherosclerosis. The mechanisms potentially responsible for this effect, e.g., activation of extensive peroxidation processes leading to, among others, altered endothelial function, may involve changes of fatty acid (FA) levels. In this study, we evaluated the impact of cigarette smoking on FA profiles and interactions with circulating FAs in determining subclinical atherosclerosis. This was established by the parallel determination of the carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT).