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n‐3 fatty acids as precursors for active metabolic substances: dissonance between expected and observed events
Author(s) -
LANDS W. E. M.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
journal of internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.625
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1365-2796
pISSN - 0954-6820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2796.1989.tb01430.x
Subject(s) - cognitive dissonance , medicine , biochemistry , social psychology , chemistry , psychology
. It may be hypothesized that many diseases are associated with an overproduction of eicosanoids from the n‐6 acid, arachidonic acid (20:4n‐6), and the formation and function of these n‐6 eicosanoids can be antagonized by dietary n‐3 fats. This hypothesis provides a basis for evaluating the benefits and risks of including various amounts of n‐3 and n‐6 fats in the diet. Understanding the impact of dietary polyunsaturated fats leads inevitably to a reappraisal of what is ‘normal’ in terms of what is typical and what is desirable for the fatty acid composition of tissue lipids, the magnitude of eicosanoid‐mediated responses, and the frequency and severity of certain diseases.