Premium
Flaxseed Oil Supplementation Increases Long‐chain Omega‐3 and Omega‐6 Fatty Acids in Plasma
Author(s) -
Cheatham Carol L,
Sheppard Kelly W,
Lupu Daniel S,
Niculescu Mihai D
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.857.13
Subject(s) - docosapentaenoic acid , docosahexaenoic acid , polyunsaturated fatty acid , arachidonic acid , fish oil , fatty acid , fads2 , eicosapentaenoic acid , alpha linolenic acid , chemistry , linolenic acid , medicine , biochemistry , biology , endocrinology , food science , linoleic acid , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , enzyme
Our animal work indicates postnatal maternal alpha‐linolenic acid (LNA, 18:3 n‐3) supplementation alters FADS2 methylation (Niculescu et al., 2012) and increases neurogenesis in the pups’ dentate gyrus (Niculescu et al., 2011) contingent on gestational LNA levels. Based on these models, we posit that humans who convert more LNA into longer‐chain fatty acids may be better able to utilize the precursor fatty acids in flaxseed oil, which is less expensive and more commercially viable than sources of preformed docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 n‐3). We asked if flaxseed oil supplementation would up‐regulate LCPUFA production. 16‐month‐olds were randomized to control (1288 mg corn oil) or treatment (1200 mg flaxseed oil). Plasma was sampled at baseline and after 4m supplementation. There were no differences in dietary intake of fatty acids. Changes in fatty acid levels in plasma were assessed using ANOVAs. We found those whose baseline plasma LNA level was undetectable, suggesting efficient utilization of LNA, had higher docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22:5 n‐3) at baseline and higher arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4 n‐6) and lower n‐6 to n‐3 fatty acid ratios after supplementation (p < .05). Supplementation differentially altered ARA levels (Figure 1) with main effects of intervention (p<0.01) and baseline LNA (p<0.01). These results suggest postnatal supplementation can up‐regulate LCPUFA pathways in humans.