Dietary Omega 3 Fatty Acids And The Developing Brain

Innis from the department of paediatrics university of british columbia.

Dietary omega 3 fatty acids and the developing brain. From abstract the omega 3 fatty acids are essential dietary nutrients and one of their important roles is providing the fatty acid with 22 carbons and 6 double bonds. During early development dha is provided by placental transfer and then in breast milk placing the importance of ω 3 fatty acid nutrition on. Western diets are low in ω 3 fatty acids including the 18 carbon ω 3 fatty acid alpha linolenic acid found mainly in plant oils and dha which is found mainly in fish. Decreased dha in the developing brain leads to deficits in neurogenesis neurotransmitter metabolism and altered learning and visual function in animals.

Reduced dha is associated with impairments in cognitive and behavioral performance effects which are particularly important during brain development. Dietary deficiency of ω 3 fatty acids results in decreased dha and replacement by long chain ω 6 fatty acids which do not provide a functional substitute for the essential roles of dha in the brain. The n 3 fatty acids are essential dietary nutrients and one of their important roles is providing docosahexaenoic acid 22 6 n 3 dha for growth and function of nervous tissue. Docosahexaenoic acid 22 6 n 3 dha 3 is the most abundant n 3 fatty acid in the mammalian brain and its levels in brain membrane lipids are altered by the type and amount of fatty acids in the diet and with life stage increasing with development and decreasing with aging 1 3.

Dietary omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and placental transfer. Introduction dietary n 3 fatty acids and their metabolism. Prior to birth all of the ω 3 fatty acids required for fetal development must be provided by placental transfer from mother s circulation innis 2005b. Dietary omega 3 fatty acids and the developing brain brain research 2008 early publication sheila m.

The omega 3 fatty acids are essential dietary nutrients and one of their important roles is providing the fatty acid with 22 carbons and 6 double bonds known as docosahexaenoic acid dha for nervous tissue growth and function. Inadequate intakes of omega 3 fatty acids decrease dha and increase omega 6 fatty acids in the brain. There is growing evidence that omega 3 n 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids pufas are important for the brain development in childhood and are necessary for an optimal health in adults.