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.

Fish oil supplementation in pregnancy modifies neonatal allergen-specific immune responses and clinical outcomes in infants at high risk of atopy: A randomized, controlled trial

Abstract: Background There is growing interest in the potential role of anti-inflammatory n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) in the prevention of allergic disease. Objective We sought to determine whether maternal dietary supplementation with n-3 PUFAs during pregnancy could modify immune responses in infants. Methods In a randomized, controlled trial 98 atopic, pregnant women received fish oil (3.7 g n-3 PUFAs per day) or placebo from 20 weeks' gestation until delivery. Neonatal PUFA levels and immunologic response to allergens were measured at birth. Results Eighty-three women completed the study. Fish oil supplementation (n = 40) achieved significantly higher proportions of n-3 PUFAs in neonatal erythrocyte membranes (mean ± SD, 17.75% ± 1.85% as a percentage of total fatty acids) compared with the control group (n = 43, 13.69% ± 1.22%, P P = .055). Although there was no difference in the frequency of atopic dermatitis at 1 year of age, infants in the fish oil group also had significantly less severe disease (odds ratio, 0.09; 95% confidence interval, 0.01 to 0.94; P = .045). Conclusions These data suggest a potential reduction in subsequent infant allergy after maternal PUFA supplementation. More detailed follow-up studies are required in larger cohorts to establish the robustness of these findings and to ascertain their significance in relation to longer-term modification of allergic disease in children.

Dietary fish oil and olive oil supplementation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Clinical and immunologic effects.

Abstract: Forty-nine patients with active rheumatoid arthritis completed a 24-week, prospective, double-blind, randomized study of dietary supplementation with 2 different dosages of fish oil and 1 dosage of olive oil. Clinical evaluations were performed at baseline and every 6 weeks thereafter, and immunologic variables were measured at baseline and after 24 weeks of study. The 3 groups of patients were matched for age, sex, disease severity, and use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Subjects continued receiving DMARDs and other background medications without change during the study. Twenty patients consumed daily dietary supplements of n3 fatty acids containing 27 mg/kg eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 18 mg/kg docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (low dose), 17 patients ingested 54 mg/kg EPA and 36 mg/kg DHA (high dose), and 12 patients ingested olive oil capsules containing 6.8 gm of oleic acid. Significant improvements from baseline in the number of tender joints were noted in the low-dose group at week 24 (P = 0.05) and in the high-dose group at week 18 (P = 0.04) and 24 (P = 0.02). Significant decreases from baseline in the number of swollen joints were noted in the low-dose group at weeks 12 (P = 0.003), 18 (P = 0.002), and 24 (P = 0.001) and in the high-dose group at weeks 12 (P = 0.0001), 18 (P = 0.008), and 24 (P = 0.02). A total of 5 of 45 clinical measures were significantly changed from baseline in the olive oil group, 8 of 45 in the low-dose fish oil group, and 21 of 45 in the high-dose fish oil group during the study (P = 0.0002). Neutrophil leukotriene B4 production decreased by 19% from baseline in the low-dose fish oil group (P = 0.0003) and 20% in the high-dose group (P = 0.03), while macrophage interleukin-1 production decreased by 38.5% in the olive oil group (P not significant), 40.6% in the low-dose group (P = 0.06), and 54.7% in the high-dose group (P = 0.0005). Tritiated thymidine incorporation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells after stimulation with concanavalin A increased significantly in all 3 groups after 24 weeks, compared with baseline values. We conclude that the clinical benefits of dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids are more commonly observed in patients consuming higher dosages of fish oil for time intervals that are longer than those previously studied. Dietary supplementation with olive oil is also associated with certain changes in immune function, which require further investigation.

Fatty acid analysis of blood plasma of patients with Alzheimer's disease, other types of dementia, and cognitive impairment.

Abstract: Fatty acid differences, including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3) have been shown in the brains of Alzheimer's patients (AD) as compared with normal age-matched individuals. Furthermore, low serum DHA is a significant risk factor for the development of AD. The relative concentration of DHA and other fatty acids, however, in the plasma of AD patients compared with patients with other kinds of dementias (other dementias; OD), patients who are cognitively impaired but nondemented (CIND), or normal patients is not known. In this study we analyzed the total phospholipid, phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC) fractions of plasma from patients diagnosed with AD, OD, or CIND and compared them with a group of elderly control subjects with normal cognitive functioning. Plasma phospholipid and PC levels of 20:5n-3, DHA, total n-3 fatty acids, and the n-3/n-6 ratio were lower in the AD, OD, and CIND groups. Plasma phospholipid 24:0 was lower in the AD, OD, and CIND groups as compared with the group of control patients, and total n-6 fatty acid levels were higher in the AD and CIND groups only. In the plasma PE fraction, levels of 20:5n-3, DHA, and the total n-3 fatty acid levels were significantly lower in the AD, OD, and CIND groups. DHA levels were lower in the lysoPC fraction of CIND individuals only. There were no other differences in the fatty acid compositions of the different phospholipid fractions. Therefore, in AD, OD, and CIND individuals, low levels of n-3 fatty acids in the plasma may be a risk factor for cognitive impairment and/or dementia. Interestingly, a decreased level of plasma DHA was not limited to the AD patients but appears to be common in cognitive impairment with aging.