The "Western diet" is characterized by increased intake of saturated and omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids with a relative reduction in omega-3 (n-3) consumption. These fatty acids can directly and indirectly modulate the gut microbiome, resulting in altered host immunity. Omega-3 fatty acids can also directly modulate immunity through alterations in the phospholipid membranes of immune cells, inhibiti...

Skeletal muscle is a plastic tissue capable of adapting and mal-adapting to physical activity and diet. The response of skeletal muscle to adaptive stimuli, such as exercise, can be modified by the prior nutritional status of the muscle. The influence of nutrition on skeletal muscle has the potential to substantially impact physical function and whole body metabolism. Animal and cell based mode...

There have been increasing research efforts in recent years to evaluate the role of various dietary supplements, such as antioxidant vitamins, L-arginine, glucan, isoflavones, soy estrogens, omega-3 fatty acids, etc., in cardiovascular health. Although there is not adequate evidence of the beneficial effects of many nutriceuticals on cardiac function, in the case of omega-3 fatty acids, the evi...

1An alternative, sustainable source of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids is widely recognized as desirable, helping to reduce pressure on current sources (wild capture fisheries) and providing a de novo source of these health beneficial fatty acids. This review will consider the efforts and progress to develop transgenic plants as terrestrial sources of omega-3 fish oils, focusing ...

Several sources of information suggest that man evolved on a diet with a ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids of approximately 1 whereas today this ratio is approximately 10:1 to 20-25:1, indicating that Western diets are deficient in omega 3 fatty acids compared with the diet on which humans evolved and their genetic patterns were established. Omega-3 fatty acids increase bleeding time; dec...

Transgenic mice (named "Omega mice") were engineered to carry both optimized fat-1 and fat-2 genes from the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans and are capable of producing essential omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids from saturated fats or carbohydrates. When maintained on a high-saturated fat diet lacking essential fatty acids or a high-carbohydrate, no-fat diet, the Omega mice exhibit high tissue ...

In the past three decades, total fat and saturated fat intake as a percentage of total calories has continuously decreased in Western diets, while the intake of omega-6 fatty acid increased and the omega-3 fatty acid decreased, resulting in a large increase in the omega-6/omega-3 ratio from 1:1 during evolution to 20:1 today or even higher. This change in the composition of fatty acids parallel...

Recent findings Studies relating marine omega-3 fatty acid status to current or future outcomes continue to indicate benefits, for example, on incident heart failure, congestive heart failure, acute coronary syndrome, and all-cause mortality. New mechanistic insights into the actions of marine omega-3 fatty acids have been gained. Three fairly large secondary prevention trials have not confirme...

Various monohydroxylated fatty acids were synthesized from eicosapolyenoic acids, namely arachidonic (20:4 omega-6), timnodonic (20:5 omega-3), dihomogammalinolenic (20:3 omega-6) and mead (20:3 omega-9) acids. 12-Hydroxy derivatives, as well as 12-hydroxy-5,8,10-heptadecatrienoic acid (HHT), were produced with platelets as the enzyme source, and 15-hydroxy derivatives were produced by soya bea...

BACKGROUND This research was conducted to explore the relationships between the levels of omega-3 fatty acids in serum phospholipid and key fatty acid ratios including potential cut-offs for risk factor assessment with respect to coronary heart disease and fatal ischemic heart disease. METHODS Blood samples (n = 2053) were obtained from free-living subjects in North America and processed for ...