The NHRI is sponsoring a seminar, “Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Brain Health & Function“ at the 105th American Oil Chemists Society Annual Meeting , held May 4-7, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas. The speakers below will present new research on the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids in maternal and child mental health and in adults with dementia. View abstracts below the roster.
Speaker 1: Fabien DeMeester PhD, BNL Food, Inc: “Overview of omega-3 fatty acids and health”
Speaker 2: Akhlaq A. Farooqui, PhD, Ohio State University: “n-3 fatty acid-derived lipid mediators against neurological oxidative stress”
Speaker 3: Michelle Price Judge, PhD, RD, CDN, University of Connecticut: “The effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on maternal and child mental health’
Speaker 4: Zaldy S. Tan, PhD, University of California – Los Angeles: “Fatty acid levels and the aging brain”
Speaker 5: Stanley I. Rapoport, PhD, National Institutes of Health: “Imaging brain DHA metabolism in vivo, in animals and humans”
Speaker 6: Grace Giles, MS, & Robin Kanarek, PhD, Tufts University: “Omega-3 fatty acids and cognitive behavior”
1. Overview of Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Health
F. DeMeester*; BNL Food, Inc., Waterloo, Belgium
Essential fatty acids from fish oils have been recognized for decreasing risk of several major diseases including cardiovascular. Their omega-3 fatty acids are the active agents and have been recognized to be important in the regulation of other major physiological systems such as basic neurological functions. Included are compilations defining fish oils and their major fatty acids in brain functions and prevention and treatment of mental dysfunction. The involvement of EPA and DHA in inflammation and cognition is firmly established. Attempts at defining their appropriate daily intakes are being made for the current standards appear all but in-appropriate for maintaining brain health. Much of aging humanity with limited fish intake or supplemental omega-3 fatty acids are at greater risk either through low intake of omega-3 or through high intake of omega-6 as EPA and DHA. The neurological consequences as described at psychological and psychiatric levels are impressive for some cognitive dysfunction conditions. Clearly with a worldwide aging population, it is critical that we understand the health implications of a dietary supplement, omega-3 fatty acids, that can affect or ameliorate some of the mental dysfunctions. Industry must be involved in this reasoning because no long-term solution to this acute threat can reasonably be envisaged without the economic engine to provide omega-3 fatty acids for those that do not eat much fish.
2. n-3 fatty acid-derived lipid mediators against neurological oxidative stress
Akhlaq A. Farooqui, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43221
In brain DHA is mainly esterified with ethanolamine plasmalogen (PlsEtn) and phosphatidylserine. From PlsEtn, it is released by Ca2+-independent PlsEtn-selective PLA2. The breakdown of DHA by 15-LOX-like enzyme results in the synthesis of D-series resolvins. 15-LOX also oxidizes DHA into protectin D1 through the formation of epoxide intermediate at the 16(17) position. The occurrence of PD1 has also been reported in brain, where it is called as neuroprotectin D1. These lipid mediators not only antagonize the effects of PGs, LTs, and TXs, but also modulate leukocyte trafficking and down-regulate the expression of cytokines in glial cells. Resolvins, neuroprotectins, and maresins regulate immune systems by modulating signal transduction processes associated with neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Like DHA, oxidation of EPA either by acetylated COX-2 or via a cytochrome P450 pathway results in the generation of E-series resolvins. DHA and EPA-derived metabolites have potent anti-inflammatory and proresolution properties. They retard excessive inflammatory responses and promote resolution by enhancing clearance of apoptotic cells and debris from inflamed brain tissue. These actions may underlie the beneficial effects of EPA and DHA in human health and neurotraumatic and neurodegenerative diseases.
3. The effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on maternal and child mental health
M.P. Judge*, A. F. Diallo, C.T. Beck; University of Connecticut School of Nursing, Storrs, Ct, USA
Mental health disorders pose a national health issue for women, children and adolescents resulting adverse financial, developmental and family health outcomes. Essential omega 3 fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6, n-3), play critical roles in building and maintaining a healthy central nervous system affecting cognition and mood regulation. Given these roles, omega-3 fatty acids are being investigated as a complementary or alternative approach in the treatment of mental health disorders in maternal and child health. Of particular interest is the state of the literature as it relates to the role of omega-3 fatty acids in alleviating symptoms of postpartum depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, childhood depression, and autistic spectrum disorder. Links between omega-3 fatty acid and related psychopathologies affecting maternal and child health were reviewed. The literature points to a need for an expansion of our current knowledge of the role of omega-3 as an alternative or adjunctive treatment in this population for these disorders. Further, given poor general intake, increased efforts are necessary in maternal and child health to ensure adequate intake of omega-3 in this population.
4. Fatty Acid and the Aging Brain
Zaldy S. Tan, M.D., M.P.H., University of California Los Angeles
The human brain undergoes structural, chemical and cognitive changes during the aging process. Fatty acids are essential for maintaining the brain’s structural integrity and physiologic functions. Several studies have suggested that the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) docahexanoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) have protective effects against age-related neurological pathology. Dementia is a highly prevalent age-related brain disease and recent research supports the role of omega-3 PUFAs in preventing or slowing the pathological cascade of this disease. Regular consumption of omega-3 fatty acids through its main dietary source, fatty fish, shows promise as an intervention to help optimize brain aging, though further research will be necessary to confirm its effectiveness as well as clarify recommend forms, amounts and duration of intake.
5. Imaging Brain DHA Metabolism In Vivo, In Animals And Humans
S. I. Rapoport*; National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, MD. USA
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) is a precursor of antiinflammatory resolvins and neuroprotectins and a second messenger in neurotransmission and other brain processes. The rate of incorporation of unesterified circulating DHA into brain phospholipids from plasma, Jin, equals the rate of metabolic DHA loss within brain, and is unchanged by changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF). It can be imaged with quantitative autoradiography in unanesthetized rodents or positron emission tomography (PET) in humans, using intravenous [1-14C]DHA or [1-11C]DHA, respectively.
Rodent drug and knockout studies indicate that resting state and drug activated DHA incorporation do not depend on extracellular Ca2+ but are mediated by Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2); lacking this enzyme (type IVA) leads to synaptic loss and motor disability in mice. PET imaging in humans shows higher DHA consumption in gray than white matter, and a normal brain DHA consumption rate of 3.8 mg/day, but elevated DHA incorporation and CBF following alcohol withdrawal in chronic alcoholics.
In summary, quantitative regional imaging of brain DHA metabolism at rest or during functional or pharmacological activation, can ³biomark² specific roles for DHA in brain structure and function in health and disease.
6. Omega-3 fatty acids and cognitive behavior
Grace E. Giles*, Robin B. Kanarek; TuftsUniversity, Medford, MA, USA
The majority of research into cognitive effects of n-3 PUFA supplementation has focused at either end of the lifespan: in infants and older adults. Multiple studies have found positive effects of maternal and formula supplementation on infant cognitive development, particularly in problem solving, memory and language development, generally suggesting that although n-3 PUFA supplementation may not influence global cognitive development among infants, it may aid particular cognitive functions. The opposite may be true in older adulthood, as higher n-3 PUFA intake and plasma levels are associated with reduced overall cognitive decline, but less so for specific cognitive domains. Epidemiological results are supported by some RCTs showing that n-3 PUFA supplementation reverses age-related cognitive decline, more so in otherwise healthy individuals than in those with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. Research in young adults remains fairly limited, and although some data suggest positive effects of n-3 PUFA supplementation on mood and executive function, other studies have failed to replicate these effects. We will discuss extant evidence assessing n-3 PUFA and cognition throughout the lifespan, with a particular focus on young adults, including recent results from our lab looking at how n-3 PUFA and stress interact in their cognitive and emotional outcomes.
