The physical-chemical properties of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) enable it to facilitate rapid biochemical processes in the membrane. This effect has numerous benefits, including those involved in the growth of bacteria, rapid energy generation, human vision, brain impulse, and photosynthesis, to name a few. Yet DHA also carrie

Studies with bacteria and other systems suggest that the omega-3 fatty acid DHA confers great benefits to neurons in maximizing both speed of neural impulses and energy efficiency. Unfortunately, studies also show that DHA’s ease of oxidation damages membrane integrity. Exploring this duality, Neurons and the DHA Principle proposes a new model for the causes of neurodegeneration, in which DHA-enriched membranes of neurons become dysfunctional and energetically wasteful, triggering the premature death of neurons. The challenge of this book is to digest how DHA acts as an essential building block of neurons while also conspiring for their assassination during aging. As the book reviews the extraordinary properties of DHA in life forms from deep-sea bacteria to human neurons, it asks: Is there a trade-off between speed and efficiency of brain function enabled by DHA versus longevity or life span? Has modern medicine advanced significantly in the treatment of the body but not necessarily of the brain? What are the molecular explanations for the decline in brain health during the age of longevity? A full accounting of the roles of DHA in neurons requires balancing the enormous benefits of these molecules against the risks. Introducing the dual chemical personalities of DHA from an evolutionary perspective, Neurons and the DHA Principle explores DHA from the standpoint of benefit–risk analysis, opening new perspectives for understanding how DHA functions in neurons.

Research has clearly established a link between omega fatty acids and general health, particularly cardiovascular health. Omega Fatty Acids in Brain and Neurological Health, Second Edition, illustrates the importance of omega-3 fatty acids in longevity, cognitive impairment and structure and function of the brain's neurons and also the adverse effects of omega-6 fatty acids on neurological function. This book encompasses some of the most recent research on the links between omega fatty acids and the developing brain, aging, dementia, Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis, including the role of omega-3 fatty acid supplements on hippocampal neurogenesis, substantia nigra modulation, migraine headaches, the developing brain in animals, sleep and neurodegenerative diseases. This completely updated second edition focuses on the counterbalancing dietary and tissue omega-6 fatty acids as well as it studies the effects in pregnancy and early infancy, animal model studies and autoimmune neurological diseases. Provides a comprehensive introduction to omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in neurological health and directions for future research Features novel focus on the adverse effects of omega-6 fatty acids on neurological function and the counterbalancing of dietary and tissue omega-6 Illustrates the importance of omega-3 fatty acids in longevity and cognitive impairment Features new chapters on early effects in pregnancy and early infancy, animal model studies and autoimmune neurological diseases Discusses links between omega fatty acids and the developing brain, aging, dementia, Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis, including the role of omega-3 fatty acid supplements

A report from research in the MIT Sea Grant College Program. Discusses the relationship between particular fatty acids found only in fish oil, and human health. Presents and evaluates information on the health effects of dietary fats generally; evidence that fish oil consumption affects the incidenc

EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids are contained in oily fish, such as salmon, lake trout, tuna and herring. These fatty acids are not essential to the diet; however, scientific evidence indicates that these fatty acids may be very beneficial in reducing Coronary Heart Disease among other things. This book brings together some of the recent studies on this important and interesting substance.

By the bestselling author of Four Fish and American Catch, an eye-opening investigation of the history, science, and business behind omega-3 fatty acids, the "miracle compound" whose story is intertwined with human health and the future of our planet Omega-3 fatty acids have long been celebrated by doctors and dieticians as key to a healthy heart and a sharper brain. In the last few decades, that promise has been encapsulated in one of America's most popular dietary supplements. Omega-3s are today a multi-billion dollar business, and sales are still growing apace--even as recent medical studies caution that the promise of omega-3s may not be what it first appeared. But a closer look at the omega-3 sensation reveals something much deeper and more troubling. The miracle pill is only the latest product of the reduction industry, a vast, global endeavor that over the last century has boiled down trillions of pounds of marine life into animal feed, fertilizer, margarine, and dietary supplements. The creatures that are the victims of that industry seem insignificant to the untrained eye, but turn out to be essential to the survival of whales, penguins, and fish of all kinds, including many that we love to eat. Behind these tiny molecules is a big story: of the push-and-pull of science and business; of the fate of our oceans in a human-dominated age; of the explosion of land food at the expense of healthier and more sustainable seafood; of the human quest for health and long life at all costs. James Beard Award-winning author Paul Greenberg probes the rich and surprising history of omega-3s--from the dawn of complex life, when these compounds were first formed; to human prehistory, when the discovery of seafood may have produced major cognitive leaps for our species; and on to the modern era, when omega-3s may point the way to a bold new direction for our food system. With wit and boundless curiosity, Greenberg brings us along on his travels--from Peru to Antarctica, from the Canary Islands to the Amalfi Coast--to reveal firsthand the practice and repercussions of our unbalanced way of eating. Rigorously reported and winningly told, The Omega Principle is a powerful argument for a more deliberate and forward-thinking relationship to the food we eat and the oceans that sustain us.

On June 24-26, 1985, a major International Conference on the Hea1th Effects of P01yunsaturated Fatty Acids in Seafoods was held in Washington, D. C. The conference had two objectives: (1) to review the research data on the health effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids in seafoods in terms of the impact of omega-3 fatty acids on eicosanoid formation, thrombosis and inflammation, and the role of docosahexaenoic acid in membrane function and metabolism, and (2) to develop a research agenda to determine the spectrum of the health effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids of seafood origin in the American diet. The 1985 conference established the fact that omega-3 fatty acids of marine origin - eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) - play important roles in prostaglandin metabolism, thrombosis and atherosc1erosis, immunology and inflammation, and membrane function. In response to the conference recommendations, the Congress of the United States provided special funding for the establishment of a "test materials 1aboratory" within the US Department of Commerce to produce under documented quality contr01 the types and quanti ties of omega-3 te~3t materials required by biomedica1 researchers. The forms of test materials to be produced include refined fish oil, polyunsaturated fatty acid enhanced triglycerides, concentrates of esters of fatty acids, purified omega-3 fatty acids, and omega-3 mono-, di- and tri~lyceride mixtures.