Fat Intake and CNS Functioning: Ageing and Disease

In 1972, Crawford and Sinclair published evidence that AA and DHA were independent determinants of brain growth and evolution [Crawford and Sinclair 1972; Broadhurst et al., 2002; Enard et al., 2002; Pennisi 2002]. Deficiency studies in rodents [Sinclair and Crawford 1972; Benolken et al., 1973; Galli and Socini, 1983; Weisinger et al., 1999; Catalan et al., 2002], chickens [Budowski et al., 1987], primates [Fiennes et al., 1973; Neuringer et al., 1986], and visual and cognitive trials in human infants [Carlson and Werkman, 1996; Martinez and Vazquez, 1998; Birch et al., 2000] have indicated that both AA and DHA are essential for brain development and function. Moreover, the competition that exists between n–6/n–3 fatty acids applies to their balance being critical for brain development and structural integrity [Budowski and Crawford, 1985]. DHA is essential in vision, brain neurones and cell signalling.