This study compares varying levels of dietary α-linolenic acid (ALA) as well as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) plus docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the fatty acid composition of multiple tissues. Two-day pregnant, C57Bl6 mice were fed through gestation and lactation with four custom made diets and the offspring were weaned to the corresponding diet: n-3 deficient (ALA, 0.07wt % of dietary fatty acids), Low ALA (0.4wt %), High ALA (5wt %), and a Low ALA enriched with DHA (2wt %) plus EPA (2wt %). The fatty acid profiles in nine tissues/organs were determined at 12 wk of age by gas chromatography. In the brain, dietary DHA+ EPA supplementation produced a slight increase in DHA but produced no effect on retina in comparison to the High ALA diet. This contrasted with liver, heart, plasma, thigh muscle where the EPA+DHA diet produced higher levels of tissue EPA and DHA compared with the ALA diets. The proportion of arachidonic acid (AA) was depressed at the DHA+ EPA intake in retina, but not brain when compared to the High ALA diet. Tissue incorporation of EPA appeared maximal for the DHA+ EPA supplementation diet, with more than a 3-fold increase in the heart when compared to the High ALA diet. The highest level of DHA was found in heart (32 %), followed by retina (27 %) in the DHA+EPA supplemented diet. These results suggest that even high levels of ALA generally cannot support the higher tissue levels of EPA or DHA found when preformed long chain n-3 PUFA are supplied in the diet.

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the caffeinated drinks, levels of vitamin D and calcium in the blood, and their relationship to bone mineral density (BMD) in osteoporotic women in Al-Ahsa Saudi Arabia. Design/methodology/approach This study included 85 women over approximately 18 months with ages ranging from 40 to 70 years who were evaluated in the laboratory via blood analysis. Moreover, sociodemographic data and information on health and nutritional awareness were collected via a questionnaire. The BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and considered osteopenia when the T value total of the lumbar spine or hip was between −1 and −2.5 and osteoporosis < −2.5. Blood levels of vitamin D and calcium were measured via blood analysis. Findings There were 54.1% and 45.9% of women who suffered from osteoporosis and low BMD, respectively. There was a significant difference in the number of osteoporotic, and low bone mineral mass groups in marital status ( p = 0.04), but no difference was found in age and educational level. A significant difference ( p = 0.01) between low bone mass and osteoporosis groups in heights. BMD was significantly and negatively correlated with vitamin D in the blood in individuals with osteoporosis (r = −0.358, P = 0.014). In addition, there was a significant negative correlation between calcium in the blood and total samples (r = −0.355, P = 0.0578). There was a negative significant relationship between calcium supplements and BMD in individuals with low BMD (rt = −0.279, P = 0.041). There was a significant association between cola intake with the occurrence of low BMD ( p = 0.027), whereas tea drinking was not associated with risk in both groups. Originality/value The study indicated that there is a direct relationship between osteoporosis and low bone mass with different variables. This study was conducted to address the lack of research related to the levels of vitamin D and calcium in the blood and their relationship with BMD in women with low BMD and osteoporosis in Al-Ahsa province-KSA.

Obesity and excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) are associated with a deficiency of essential fatty acids, affecting maternal health during and after pregnancy. Therefore, it is of interest to identify the associations of pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and GWG with lipid profiles in Saudi women after giving birth. Hence, a cross-sectional study of 238 pregnant women aged 20-40 years was conducted at the King Abdul Aziz Hospital, in Al-Ahsa Governorate-Saudi Arabia. Thus, socio-demographic and anthropometric data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), saturated fatty acids (SFAs), and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) levels were assessed from blood samples collected after the women gave birth. The participants generally consumed diets low in omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs and high in SFAs and MUFAs. Among them, 51% had university degrees, only 20.4% were employed, and 50% had pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity. Women with overweight/obesity had a higher omega-6 to omega-3 PUFA ratio than women with normal weight. Overweight, obesity, and excessive GWG were not associated with higher levels of total n-3 PUFAs, docosahexaenoic acid, and α-linolenic acid but were associated with higher levels of total n-6 PUFAs and linoleic acid. Women with obesity had significantly higher SFA and MUFA levels than women with normal weight, whereas women with excessive GWG were twice as likely to have higher SFA levels than women with adequate GWG. We show that a higher pre-pregnancy BMI and excessive GWG were significantly associated with abnormal lipid profiles in Saudi women after giving birth. We believe that future studies will help explore these associations in detail.

The present study examines the potential role of the Maternal Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid profile in fetal growth by investigating the association between maternal concentrations of these fatty acids in the gestation stage and birth outcome measures (birth weight, birth length, and head circumference at birth). The study covered (255) women with a mean age of 29.22 ± 5.29 years. Half of them had a Bachelor’s degree or higher, and most of them were unemployed. The author used a questionnaire for data collection. The level of fatty acids was not correlated with pregnancy outcomes such as weight, height, and head circumference. A significant positive correlation between total MUFAs and gestational age was established. There was a positive correlation between the level of total n-3 PUFA and gestational weight gain. There was also a positive correlation between nutritional knowledge and the amount of fish consumed during pregnancy. However, no correlation was found between the consumption of fish and pregnancy outcomes. This study has demonstrated preliminary results regarding the level of polyunsaturated fatty acids in pregnant women and pregnancy outcomes that can help evaluate the current or future pregnancy preventative programs when planning reproductive health programs.

The increase in the plasma level of lycopene following the drinking of tomato juice is a valid biomarker reflecting lowering in the oxidative stress and improving glycemic control among patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2 DM). The aim of the study is to characterize the overall health of a small sample of typical patients with type 2 DM and to test the effectiveness of dietary intervention with tomato juice against the oxidative stress of diabetes. Design: The study consisted of 29 diabetic men and women with mean age of 61 years and median duration of diabetes of 12 years. Blood samples were collected for biochemical analysis of 14 blood biomarkers. The participants were then divided into two groups, one arm served as control and the second received daily 240 ml of thermally treated tomato juice providing 22 mg of lycopene. At days zero and at the end of the 3 week dietary intervention, blood samples were collected for HPLC measurement of plasma carotenoids and retinol concentrations. Results: The fasting plasma glucose (FPG) concentrations of 46.7 % of the diabetic men and 40% of the diabetic women were ≤ 7.0 implying good management. The use of HbA1c as criteria of good control of glycemic index, 78.6 % of the diabetic men and 88.9% of the diabetic women were presented with poorly glycemic control. Prevalences of obesity (BMI > 30 kg/ m2) accounted for 44 % and 87.5% among the diabetic men and women, respectively. Prevalences of total cholesterol high density lipoprotein ratio above the acceptable upper limit were 33.3 and 25 % among diabetic men and women, respectively. Prevalences of hyper triglyceridemia were 69.2 and 60% among the diabetic men and women, respectively. After the 3 week dietary intervention with thermally treated tomato juice, plasma lycopene concentration increased on average by 161% fold excess over the respective baseline level, reflecting lowering in the oxidative stress and improving glycemic control of T2 DM pathogenesis. The preliminary data recommends the regular intakes of tomato lycopene rich diets as a safe adjunct to glucose-lowering drugs among diabetics with poor glycaemic control and with increased levels of oxidative stress biomarkers.

Chronic alcohol dependence has been associated with disturbed behavior, cerebral atrophy and a low plasma concentration of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22∶6n-3), particularly if liver disease is present. In animal models, excessive alcohol consumption is reported to reduce brain DHA concentration, suggesting disturbed brain DHA metabolism. We hypothesized that brain DHA metabolism also is abnormal in chronic alcoholics.We compared 15 non-smoking chronic alcoholics, studied within 7 days of their last drink, with 22 non-smoking healthy controls. Using published neuroimaging methods with positron emission tomography (PET), we measured regional coefficients (K*) and rates (J(in)) of DHA incorporation from plasma into the brain of each group using [1-(11)C]DHA, and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) using [(15)O]water. Data were partial volume error corrected for brain atrophy. Plasma unesterified DHA concentration also was quantified.Mean K* for DHA was significantly and widely elevated by 10-20%, and rCBF was elevated by 7%-34%, in alcoholics compared with controls. Unesterified plasma DHA did not differ significantly between groups nor did whole brain J(in), the product of K* and unesterified plasma DHA concentration.Significantly higher values of K* for DHA in alcoholics indicate increased brain avidity for DHA, thus a brain DHA metabolic deficit vis-à-vis plasma DHA availability. Higher rCBF in alcoholics suggests increased energy consumption. These changes may reflect a hypermetabolic state related to early alcohol withdrawal, or a general brain metabolic change in chronic alcoholics.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading cause of blindness among the elderly; however, current therapy options are limited. Epidemiological studies have shown that a diet that is high in omega-3 polyunsaturated (n-3) fatty acids can slow disease progression in patients with advanced AMD. In this study, we evaluated the effect of such a diet on the retinas of Ccl2(-/-)/Cx3cr1(-/-) mice, a model that develops AMD-like retinal lesions that include focal deep retinal lesions, abnormal retinal pigment epithelium, photoreceptor degeneration, and A2E accumulation. Ccl2(-/-)/Cx3cr1(-/-) mice that ingested a high n-3 fatty acid diet showed a slower progression of retinal lesions compared with the low n-3 fatty acids group. Some mice that were given high levels of n-3 fatty acids had lesion reversion. We found a shunted arachidonic acid metabolism that resulted in decreased pro-inflammatory derivatives (prostaglandin E(2) and leukotriene B(4)) and an increased anti-inflammatory derivative (prostaglandin D(2)). We also measured lower ocular TNF-alpha and IL-6 transcript levels in the mice fed a diet of high n-3 fatty acids. Our findings in these mice are in line with human studies of AMD risk reduction by long-chain n-3 fatty acids. This murine model provides a useful tool to evaluate therapies that might delay the development of AMD.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22: 6n-3) is a critical constituent of the brain, but its metabolism has not been measured in the human brain in vivo. In monkeys, using positron emission tomography (PET), we first showed that intravenously injected [1-C-11] DHA mostly entered nonbrain organs, with similar to 0.5% entering the brain. Then, using PET and intravenous [1-C-11] DHA in 14 healthy adult humans, we quantitatively imaged regional rates of incorporation (K*) of DHA. We also imaged regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) using PET and intravenous [O-15] water. Values of K* for DHA were higher in gray than white matter regions and correlated significantly with values of rCBF in 12 of 14 subjects despite evidence that rCBF does not directly influence K*. For the entire human brain, the net DHA incorporation rate J(in), the product of K*, and the unesterified plasma DHA concentration equaled 3.8 +/- 6 1.7 mg/day. This net rate is equivalent to the net rate of DHA consumption by brain and, considering the reported amount of DHA in brain, indicates that the half-life of DHA in the human brain approximates 2.5 years. Thus, PET with [1-11C] DHA can be used to quantify regional and global human brain DHA metabolism in relation to health and disease.-Umhau, J. C., W. Zhou, R. E. Carson, S. I. Rapoport, A. Polozova, J. Demar, N. Hussein, A. K. Bhattacharjee, K. Ma, G. Esposito, S. Majchrzak, P. Herscovitch, W. C. Eckelman, K. A. Kurdziel, and N. Salem, Jr. Imaging incorporation of circulating docosahexaenoic acid into the human brain using positron emission tomography. J. Lipid Res. 2009. 50: 1259-1268.

The ability to control the fatty acid content of the diet during early development is a crucial requirement for a one-generation model of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n3) deficiency. A hand feeding method using artificial rearing (AR) together with sterile, artificial milk was employed for feeding mice from postnatal day 2-15. The pups were fed an n-3 fatty acid adequate (3% alpha-linolenic acid (LNA; 18:3n3) + 1% 22:6n3) or a deficient diet (0.06% 18:3n3) with linoleic acid (LA; 18:2n6) as the only dietary source of essential fatty acids by AR along with a dam-reared control group (3.1% 18:3n3). The results indicate that restriction of n-3 fatty acid intake during postnatal development leads to markedly lower levels of brain, retinal, liver, plasma and heart 22:6n3 at 20 weeks of age with replacement by docosapentaenoic acid (DPAn6; 22:5n6), arachidonic acid (ARA; 20:4n6) and docosatetraenoic acid (DTA; 22:4n6). A detailed analysis of phospholipid classes of heart tissue indicated that phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine and cardiolipin were the major repositories of 22:6n3, reaching 40, 29 and 15%, respectively. A novel heart cardiolipin species containing four 22:6n3 moieties is described. This is the first report of the application of artificially rearing to mouse pup nutrition; this technique will facilitate dietary studies of knockout animals as well as the study of essential fatty acid (EFA) functions in the cardiovascular, neural and other organ systems.

In this study, the authors demonstrate that rats with n-3 fatty acid deficiency display spatial learning deficits in the Barnes circular maze. Dams were deprived of n-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation, and their offspring were weaned to the same deficient diet. There was a 58% loss of brain docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the n-3 fatty acid-deficient rats in comparison to n-3 fatty acid-adequate rats. At 8 weeks of age, deficient rats demonstrated moderate impairment in Barnes maze performance compared with the n-3 fatty acid-adequate rats during the initial training. In the reversal learning task, the n-3 fatty acid-deficient rats showed a profound deficit in performance: They required more time to find a new position of the escape tunnel, which was accompanied by a higher number of errors and perseverations. The n-3 fatty acid-deficient rats had reduced tissue levels of dopamine in the ventral striatum and enhanced levels of the metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid in frontal cortex and hypothalamus. In summary, this study demonstrates that rats with low brain DHA have a deficit in spatial reversal learning that could be related to changes in dopamine transmission in critical brain circuits.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) may be biosynthesized from a precursor alpha-linolenic acid (LNA) or obtained preformed in the diet. Dams were fed four diets with different levels of the various n-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation, and their offspring were weaned to the same diets: "n-3 Deficient," containing (as % total fatty acids) 0.07% of LNA; "Low LNA" (0.4%); "High LNA" (4.8%); and a "DHA + EPA" diet, containing 0.4% of LNA, 2% DHA, and 2% EPA. Sensorimotor gating was measured by prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response in C57Bl6 mice. The n-3 Deficient and Low LNA diets caused a substantial deficit in PPI compared to the DHA + EPA diet, whereas the High LNA diet induced a less pronounced, but significant reduction of PPI. These are the first data that demonstrate a deficit in sensorimotor gating in rodents caused by an inadequate amount of the n-3 fatty acids in the diet. Our results differentiate the effects of a High LNA diet from one with added EPA and DHA even though the difference in brain DHA content is only 12% between these dietary groups.

Although a number of epidemiologic studies reported that higher intake of omega-3 fatty acids (largely associated with fish consumption) is protective against Alzheimer's disease (AD), other human studies reported no such effect. Because retrospective human studies are problematic and controlled longitudinal studies over decades are impractical, the present study utilized Alzheimer's transgenic mice (Tg) in a highly controlled study to determine whether a diet high in omega-3 fatty acid, equivalent to the 13% omega-3 fatty acid diet of Greenland Eskimos, can improve cognitive performance or protect against cognitive impairment. Amyloid precursor protein (APP)-sw+PS1 double transgenic mice, as well as nontransgenic (NT) normal littermates, were given a high omega-3 supplemented diet or a standard diet from 2 through 9 months of age, with a comprehensive behavioral test battery administered during the final 6 weeks. For both Tg and NT mice, long-term n-3 supplementation resulted in cognitive performance that was no better than that of mice fed a standard diet. In NT mice, the high omega-3 diet increased cortical levels of omega-3 fatty acids while decreasing omega-6 levels. However, the high omega-3 diet had no effect on cortical fatty acid levels in Tg mice. Irrespective of diet, no correlations existed between brain omega-3 levels and cognitive performance for individual NT or Tg mice. In contrast, brain levels of omega-6 fatty acids were strongly correlated with cognitive impairment for both genotypes. Thus, elevated brain levels of omega-3 fatty acids were not relevant to cognitive function, whereas high brain levels of omega-6 were associated with impaired cognitive function. In Tg mice, the omega-3 supplemental diet did not induce significant changes in soluble/insoluble Abeta within the hippocampus, although strong correlations were evident between hippocampal Abeta(1-40) levels and cognitive impairment. While these studies involved a genetically manipulated mouse model of AD, our results suggest that diets high in omega-3 fatty acids, or use of fish oil supplements (DHA+EPA), will not protect against AD, at least in high-risk individuals. However, normal individuals conceivably could derive cognitive benefits from high omega-3 intake if it corrects an elevation in the brain level of n-6 fatty acids as a result. Alternatively, dietary fish may contain nutrients, other than DHA and EPA, that could provide some protection against AD.

We studied the long-chain conversion of [U-13C]alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA) and responses of erythrocyte phospholipid composition to variation in the dietary ratios of 18:3n-3 (ALA) and 18:2n-6 (LA) for 12 weeks in 38 moderately hyperlipidemic men. Diets were enriched with either flaxseed oil (FXO; 17 g/day ALA, n=21) or sunflower oil (SO; 17 g/day LA, n=17). The FXO diet induced increases in phospholipid ALA (>3-fold), 20:5n-3 [eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), >2-fold], and 22:5n-3 [docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), 50%] but no change in 22:6n-3 [docosahexanoic acid (DHA)], LA, or 20:4n-6 [arachidonic acid (AA)]. The increases in EPA and DPA but not DHA were similar to those in subjects given the SO diet enriched with 3 g of EPA plus DHA from fish oil (n=19). The SO diet induced a small increase in LA but no change in AA. Long-chain conversion of [U-13C]ALA and [U-13C]LA, calculated from peak plasma 13C concentrations after simple modeling for tracer dilution in subsets from the FXO (n=6) and SO (n=5) diets, was similar but low for the two tracers (i.e., AA, 0.2%; EPA, 0.3%; and DPA, 0.02%) and varied directly with precursor concentrations and inversely with concentrations of fatty acids of the alternative series. [13C]DHA formation was very low (<0.01%) with no dietary influences.

We studied the long-chain conversion of [U-13C]α-linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA) and responses of erythrocyte phospholipid composition to variation in the dietary ratios of 18:3n-3 (ALA) and 18:2n-6 (LA) for 12 weeks in 38 moderately hyperlipidemic men. Diets were enriched with either flaxseed oil (FXO; 17 g/day ALA, n = 21) or sunflower oil (SO; 17 g/day LA, n = 17). The FXO diet induced increases in phospholipid ALA (>3-fold), 20:5n-3 [eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), >2-fold], and 22:5n-3 [docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), 50%] but no change in 22:6n-3 [docosahexanoic acid (DHA)], LA, or 20:4n-6 [arachidonic acid (AA)]. The increases in EPA and DPA but not DHA were similar to those in subjects given the SO diet enriched with 3 g of EPA plus DHA from fish oil (n = 19). The SO diet induced a small increase in LA but no change in AA. Long-chain conversion of [U-13C]ALA and [U-13C]LA, calculated from peak plasma 13C concentrations after simple modeling for tracer dilution in subsets from the FXO (n = 6) and SO (n = 5) diets, was similar but low for the two tracers (i.e., AA, 0.2%; EPA, 0.3%; and DPA, 0.02%) and varied directly with precursor concentrations and inversely with concentrations of fatty acids of the alternative series. [13C]DHA formation was very low (<0.01%) with no dietary influences.