Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Fatty Acid Status (fatty + acid_status)
Selected AbstractsFatty acid status in captive and free-ranging black rhinoceroses (Diceros bicornis)*JOURNAL OF ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY AND NUTRITION, Issue 3 2008M. Clauss Summary The fatty acid (FA) patterns of plasma/serum triglycerides (TG), phospholipids (PL) and cholesteryl esters (CE) of captive and free-ranging black rhinoceroses (Diceros bicornis) were investigated. Free-ranging animals (n = 28) stemmed from four different regions. Captive animals sampled included specimens from North American (n = 11) and three different European facilities (n = 6). The European animals were tested on 1,4 different diets, resulting in a total of 15 blood samples. Regardless of differences between the free-ranging animals from different regions, differences between captive and free-ranging animals were relatively uniform: captive animals had higher overall proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), due to levels of linoleic acid (LA, 18:2n6) that were drastically increased as compared to free-ranging animals. In contrast, levels of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n3) were consistently lower on conventional zoo diets. n6/n3 ratios for TG, PL and CE were 1.6, 10 and 8 in samples from free-ranging animals, respectively, as compared to 4.1,16.3, 16,148 and 40,277 in samples from captive animals. There was a distinct correlation between the proportion of grain-based products (commercial concentrates, plain grains and bread) in the diets of the European animals and the measured levels of n6 PUFA. An animal from a facility with a very low proportion of grain products in the diet nevertheless had high LA readings, most probably due to the use of sunflower oil as 2% (dry matter basis) of its diet. One animal that received a high proportion of grass meal pellets due to an oral disease had increased ALA contents after the diet change. These results allow conclusions on the suitability of diets fed in captivity: the black rhinoceros is prone to several uncommon diseases that have been suspected to be linked to oxidative damage, possibly due to the disposition of this species to excessive iron storage. An unnatural dietary loading with PUFAs would exacerbate this problem. Additionally, n6 FAs are known as precursors of pro-inflammatory mediators, and their overrepresentation could therefore exacerbate any inflammatory processes. Therefore, the current practice of using grain-based feeds as major ingredients in captive rhinoceros diets is discouraged. Diet items containing ALA (a precursor of anti-inflammatory mediators) such as, fresh grass, fresh browse, the respective silages should be included at higher levels in diets for captive black rhinoceroses. Grass meal pellets, although a good source of ALA and linked with high levels of ALA in an animal of this study, must be chosen with care for black rhinoceroses due to their particular proneness for high iron contents. [source] Relationship between ,3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid status during early infancy and neurodevelopmental status at 1 year of ageJOURNAL OF HUMAN NUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 2 2002R. G. Voigt Objective To determine the influence of ,-linolenic acid (ALA; 18 : 3,3) intake and, hence, the influence of plasma and/or erythrocyte phospholipid content of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22 : 6,3) during early infancy on neurodevelopmental outcome of term infants. Methods The Bayley Scales of Infant Development (second edition), the Clinical Adaptive Test/Clinical Linguistic and Auditory Milestone Scale (CAT/CLAMS) and the Gross Motor Scale of the Revised Gesell Developmental Inventory were administered at a mean age of 12.26 ± 0.94 months to 44 normal term infants enrolled in a study evaluating the effects of infant formulas differing only in ALA content (0.4, 1.0, 1.7 and 3.2% of total fatty acids). Results As reported previously [Jensen et al., Lipids 13 (1996) 107; J. Pediatr. 131 (1997) 200], the group fed the formula with the lowest ALA content had the lowest mean plasma and erythrocyte phospholipid DHA contents at 4 months of age. This group also had the lowest mean score on every neurodevelopmental measure. The difference in mean gross motor developmental quotient of this group versus the group fed the formula with 1.0% ALA but not of the other groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Across the groups, motor indices correlated positively with each other and with the plasma phospholipid DHA content at 4 months of age (P=0.02,0.03). The CLAMS developmental quotient correlated with the erythrocyte phospholipid content of 20 : 5,3 (P < 0.01) but not with DHA. Conclusions These statistically significant correlations suggest that the ,3 fatty acid status during early infancy may be important with respect to neurodevelopmental status at 1 year of age and highlight the need for further studies of this possibility. [source] Polyunsaturated fatty acid status in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, and Alzheimer's disease: towards an omega-3 index for mental health?NUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 10 2009Catherine M Milte Interest in the role of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly long-chain (LC) omega-3 (n -3) PUFAs, in mental health is increasing. This review investigates whether n -3 PUFA levels are abnormal in people with three prevalent mental health problems , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, and dementia. Data sources included PubMed, Web of Science, and bibliographies of papers published in English that describe PUFA levels in the circulation of individuals who have these mental health conditions. Although abnormal blood PUFA levels were reported in a number of studies, weighted comparisons of PUFA status showed no significant differences overall between people with mental health problems and controls. Whether those with low n -3 PUFA status are likely to be more responsive to n -3 PUFA supplementation is not yet resolved. Further studies assessing PUFA levels and mental status with greater uniformity are required in order to clarify the relationship between LC n -3 PUFA status and mental health. [source] | ||||||||||