Copy Number Variation, Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Neurological Disorders. With Particular Reference to Huntington's Disease and Associated CAG Repeats, and to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Viral Infection

It has been suggested that nutrigenomics, the study of the effects of nutrients on molecular level biological processes and the variable effects of nutrients on individuals, represents the new frontier of nutrition science [1]. One particular nutrient, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), is an important n–3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid which has multiple important functions. The use of the semi-synthetic derivative ethyl-eicosapentaenoic acid (ethyl-EPA) in the treatment and prevention of certain neurological and cardiovascular disorders is becoming increasingly well known. In this paper, we discuss the early evidence that individual response to ethylEPA might be a function of copy number variation. To this end, the research carried out in Huntington’s disease is germane, given that the genetic cause (increased CAG repeats) of this neurological disorder are well characterized, and that differences in the number of CAG repeats in Huntington’s disease can be measured. Similarly, given the recent finding of retroviral infection being common in myalgic encephalomyelitis, the response of patients with the latter neurological disorder to ethyl-EPA might also be expected to show differences related to copy number variation.