Cargando…
Role of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human nutrition and health: review of recent studies and recommendations
Long-chain (LC) n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), in particular docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), are nutrients involved in many metabolic and physiological processes, and are referred to as n-3 LCPUFA. They have been extensively studied for their effects in huma...
Autor principal: | |
---|---|
Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
The Korean Nutrition Society and the Korean Society of Community Nutrition
2021
|
Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8007408/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33841720 http://dx.doi.org/10.4162/nrp.2021.15.2.137 |
_version_ | 1783672481880473600 |
---|---|
author | Van Dael, Peter |
author_facet | Van Dael, Peter |
author_sort | Van Dael, Peter |
collection | PubMed |
description | Long-chain (LC) n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), in particular docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), are nutrients involved in many metabolic and physiological processes, and are referred to as n-3 LCPUFA. They have been extensively studied for their effects in human nutrition and health. This paper provides an overview on metabolism, sources, dietary intake, and status of n-3 LCPUFA. A summary of the dietary recommendations for n-3 LCPUFAs for different age groups as well as specific physiological conditions is provided. Evidence for n-3 LCPUFA in cardiovascular diseases, including new studies, is reviewed. Expert recommendations generally support a beneficial effect of n-3 LCPUFA on cardiovascular health and recommend a daily intake of 500 mg as DHA and EPA, or 1–2 servings of fish per week. The role of n-3 LCPUFA on brain health, in particular neurodegenerative disorders and depression, is reviewed. The evidence for beneficial effects of n-3 LCPUFA on neurodegenerative disorders is non-conclusive despite mechanistic support and observational data. Hence, no definite n-3 LCPUFA expert recommendations are made. Data for the beneficial effect of n-3 LCPUFA on depression are generally compelling. Expert recommendations have been established: 200–300 mg/day for depression; up to 1–2 g/day for major depressive disorder. Recent studies support a beneficial role of n-3 LCPUFAs in reducing the risk for premature birth, with a daily intake of 600–800 mg of DHA during pregnancy. Finally, international experts recently reviewed the scientific evidence on DHA and arachidonic acid (ARA) in infant nutrition and concluded that the totality of data support that infant and follow-on formulas should provide both DHA and ARA at levels similar to those in breast milk. In conclusion, the available scientific data support that dietary recommendations for n-3 LCPUFA should be established for the general population and for subjects with specific physiological conditions. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-8007408 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2021 |
publisher | The Korean Nutrition Society and the Korean Society of Community Nutrition |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-80074082021-04-08 Role of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human nutrition and health: review of recent studies and recommendations Van Dael, Peter Nutr Res Pract Review Long-chain (LC) n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), in particular docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), are nutrients involved in many metabolic and physiological processes, and are referred to as n-3 LCPUFA. They have been extensively studied for their effects in human nutrition and health. This paper provides an overview on metabolism, sources, dietary intake, and status of n-3 LCPUFA. A summary of the dietary recommendations for n-3 LCPUFAs for different age groups as well as specific physiological conditions is provided. Evidence for n-3 LCPUFA in cardiovascular diseases, including new studies, is reviewed. Expert recommendations generally support a beneficial effect of n-3 LCPUFA on cardiovascular health and recommend a daily intake of 500 mg as DHA and EPA, or 1–2 servings of fish per week. The role of n-3 LCPUFA on brain health, in particular neurodegenerative disorders and depression, is reviewed. The evidence for beneficial effects of n-3 LCPUFA on neurodegenerative disorders is non-conclusive despite mechanistic support and observational data. Hence, no definite n-3 LCPUFA expert recommendations are made. Data for the beneficial effect of n-3 LCPUFA on depression are generally compelling. Expert recommendations have been established: 200–300 mg/day for depression; up to 1–2 g/day for major depressive disorder. Recent studies support a beneficial role of n-3 LCPUFAs in reducing the risk for premature birth, with a daily intake of 600–800 mg of DHA during pregnancy. Finally, international experts recently reviewed the scientific evidence on DHA and arachidonic acid (ARA) in infant nutrition and concluded that the totality of data support that infant and follow-on formulas should provide both DHA and ARA at levels similar to those in breast milk. In conclusion, the available scientific data support that dietary recommendations for n-3 LCPUFA should be established for the general population and for subjects with specific physiological conditions. The Korean Nutrition Society and the Korean Society of Community Nutrition 2021-04 2021-01-04 /pmc/articles/PMC8007408/ /pubmed/33841720 http://dx.doi.org/10.4162/nrp.2021.15.2.137 Text en ©2021 The Korean Nutrition Society and the Korean Society of Community Nutrition https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
spellingShingle | Review Van Dael, Peter Role of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human nutrition and health: review of recent studies and recommendations |
title | Role of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human nutrition and health: review of recent studies and recommendations |
title_full | Role of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human nutrition and health: review of recent studies and recommendations |
title_fullStr | Role of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human nutrition and health: review of recent studies and recommendations |
title_full_unstemmed | Role of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human nutrition and health: review of recent studies and recommendations |
title_short | Role of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human nutrition and health: review of recent studies and recommendations |
title_sort | role of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human nutrition and health: review of recent studies and recommendations |
topic | Review |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8007408/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33841720 http://dx.doi.org/10.4162/nrp.2021.15.2.137 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT vandaelpeter roleofn3longchainpolyunsaturatedfattyacidsinhumannutritionandhealthreviewofrecentstudiesandrecommendations |