Morandi A, Piona C, Bonafini S, et al. - This study was undertaken to determine if erythrocyte fatty acids (FAs) correlated with cardiovascular risk factors and dietary fats in youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The authors selected 154 adolescents with T1D (aged 17.3 ± 2 years, 82 boys) and evaluated blood pressure, plasma lipids, HbA1c, estimated insulin sensitivity and dietary fats based on a 3-days weighed dietary record. Findings suggested that delta-6-desaturase (D6D) activity can exert unfavorable effects per se in youth with T1D, beyond its role in FAs composition. This is consistent with preceding evidence associating D6D activity/D6D-enhancing polymorphisms with metabolic syndrome and incident type 2 diabetes, as well as D6D activity with the regulation of cellular red-ox balance. Stearic acid had become a good glycemic control marker.