Meat and Seafood Consumption in Relation to Plasma Metabolic Profiles in a Chinese Population: A Combined Untargeted and Targeted Metabolomics Study

We examined the relationship between different patterns of meat and seafood consumption and plasma metabolic profiles in an Asian population. We selected 270 ethnic Chinese men and women from the Singapore Prospective Study Program based on their dietary habits assessed with a validated food frequency questionnaire. Participants were divided into four subgroups: high meat and high seafood (n = 60), high meat and low seafood (n = 64), low meat and high seafood (n = 60), and low meat and low seafood (n = 86) consumers. Plasma metabolites were measured using both targeted and untargeted mass spectroscopy-based analyses. A total of 42 metabolites differed significantly by dietary group. Higher concentrations of essential amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and D-glucose were found in high meat and/or seafood consumers as compared with the group with a low consumption of these animal foods. Red meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, soy products, and dairy were each correlated with at least one differential metabolite (r = -0.308 to 0.448). Some observations, such as the correlation between fish and 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropanoic acid (CMPF), confirmed previous studies. Other observations, such as the correlation between shellfish and phosphatidylethanolamine (p36:4), were novel. We also observed significant correlations between plasma metabolites and clinical characteristics, such as CMPF with fasting blood glucose (r = 0.401). These findings demonstrate a significant influence of meat and seafood consumption on metabolic profiles in the Asian population.