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Docosahexaenoic acid

About: Docosahexaenoic acid is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 14412 publications have been published within this topic receiving 620852 citations. The topic is also known as: all-cis-DHA & all-cis-docosa-4,7,10,13,16,19-hexaenoic acid.


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Journal ArticleDOI
Nina Willumsen1, Sofie Hexeberg1, Jon Skorve1, M Lundquist1, Rolf K. Berge1 
TL;DR: The results indicate that docosahexaenoic acid, in contrast to eicosapentaenoic Acid, does not inhibit the synthesis and secretion of triglycerides in the liver and emphasize the importance that stimulation of peroxisomal beta-oxidation by these n-3 fatty acids is not sufficient to decrease the serum levels of triglyceride.

201 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Evidence suggests that omega-3FAs are essential and highly desirable for brain and eye development and heart health, and food composition data or product claims mentioning total Omega-3FA content must clarify the individual omega- 3FAs present.
Abstract: Omega-3 Fatty acids (omega-3FAs) are found in seafoods, some plants, and some livestock rations. Fish oils are the only concentrated source of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5 omega-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6 omega-3). The major omega-3FA in plants is alpha-linolenic acid (LNA; 18:3 omega-3). LNA must be converted to EPA before it exerts biological effects similar to EPA, such as reduced platelet aggregation. Human beings convert LNA to EPA to a small extent only. LNA may be more readily oxidized than incorporated into tissues. The effects of consuming LNA-rich oils are more modest than the effects of EPA-rich oils. Evidence suggests that omega-3FAs are essential and highly desirable for brain and eye development and heart health. LNA is the only source of omega-3FAs for vegetarians. Because LNA and EPA are not biologically equivalent, food composition data or product claims mentioning total omega-3FA content must clarify the individual omega-3FAs present.

201 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
10 Mar 2011-PLOS ONE
TL;DR: The results suggest for the first time that DHA plays an important role in one carbon metabolism thereby influencing global DNA methylation in the placenta.
Abstract: Potential adverse effects of excess maternal folic acid supplementation on a vegetarian population deficient in vitamin B12 are poorly understood. We have previously shown in a rat model that maternal folic acid supplementation at marginal protein levels reduces brain omega-3 fatty acid levels in the adult offspring. We have also reported that reduced docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels may result in diversion of methyl groups towards DNA in the one carbon metabolic pathway ultimately resulting in DNA methylation. This study was designed to examine the effect of normal and excess folic acid in the absence and presence of vitamin B12 deficiency on global methylation patterns in the placenta. Further, the effect of maternal omega 3 fatty acid supplementation on the above vitamin B12 deficient diets was also examined. Our results suggest maternal folic acid supplementation in the absence of vitamin B12 lowers plasma and placental DHA levels (p<0.05) and reduces global DNA methylation levels (p<0.05). When this group was supplemented with omega 3 fatty acids there was an increase in placental DHA levels and subsequently DNA methylation levels revert back to the levels of the control group. Our results suggest for the first time that DHA plays an important role in one carbon metabolism thereby influencing global DNA methylation in the placenta.

200 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The cloning and characterization of desaturases from these fish is an important advance, as they are species in which there is a relative wealth of data on the nutritional regulation of fatty acid desaturation and HUFA synthesis, and between which substantive differences occur.
Abstract: Fish are the most important dietary source of the n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), that have particularly important roles in human nutrition reflecting their roles in critical physiological processes. The objective of the study described here was to clone, functionally characterize and compare expressed fatty acid desaturase genes involved in the production of EPA and DHA in freshwater and marine teleost fish species. Putative fatty acid desaturase cDNAs were isolated and cloned from common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and turbot (Psetta maximus). The enzymic activities of the products of these cDNAs, together with those of cDNAs previously cloned from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata), were determined by heterologous expression in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The carp and turbot desaturase cDNAs included open reading frames (ORFs) of 1335 and 1338 base pairs, respectively, specifying proteins of 444 and 445 amino acids. The protein sequences possessed all the characteristic features of microsomal fatty acid desaturases, including three histidine boxes, two transmembrane regions, and N-terminal cytochrome b5 domains containing the haem-binding motif, HPGG. Functional expression showed all four fish cDNAs encode basically unifunctional Δ6 fatty acid desaturase enzymes responsible for the first and rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of HUFA from 18:3n-3 and 18:2n-6. All the fish desaturases were more active towards the n-3 substrate with 59.5%, 31.5%, 23.1% and 7.0% of 18:3n-3 being converted to 18:4n-3 in the case of turbot, trout, sea bream and carp, respectively. The enzymes also showed very low, probably physiologically insignificant, levels of Δ5 desaturase activity, but none of the products showed Δ4 desaturase activity. The cloning and characterization of desaturases from these fish is an important advance, as they are species in which there is a relative wealth of data on the nutritional regulation of fatty acid desaturation and HUFA synthesis, and between which substantive differences occur.

200 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is hypothesized that the introduction of DHA-rich domains into the plasma membrane where they coexist with lipid rafts is the origin, in part, of the astonishing diversity of health benefits that accrue from dietary consumption of D HA.

200 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
2023473
2022935
2021575
2020612
2019621
2018541