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Omega−3 fatty acids are important for normal metabolism. [ 2 ] Mammals are unable to synthesize omega−3 fatty acids, but can obtain the shorter-chain omega−3 fatty acid ALA (18 carbons and 3 double bonds) through diet and use it to form the more important long-chain omega−3 fatty acids, EPA (20 carbons and 5 double bonds) and then from ...
An omega−3 fatty acid is a fatty acid with multiple double bonds, where the first double bond is between the third and fourth carbon atoms from the end of the carbon atom chain. "Short-chain" omega−3 fatty acids have a chain of 18 carbon atoms or less, while "long-chain" omega−3 fatty acids have a chain of 20 or more.
D6D is a desaturase enzyme, i.e. it introduces a double bond in a specific position of long-chain fatty acids. D6D is necessary to synthesize longer chain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. [7] In humans, it is used principally for the conversions of cis-linoleic acid to gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), and palmitic acid to sapienic acid.
Intake of large doses (2.0 to 4.0 g/day) of long-chain omega−3 fatty acids as prescription drugs or dietary supplements are generally required to achieve significant (> 15%) lowering of triglycerides, and at those doses the effects can be significant (from 20% to 35% and even up to 45% in individuals with levels greater than 500 mg/dL).
The human body has a limited ability to convert ALA into the longer-chain omega-3 fatty acids — eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which can also be obtained from fish. Omega−3 and omega−6 fatty acids are biosynthetic precursors to endocannabinoids with antinociceptive, anxiolytic, and neurogenic properties. [37]
In fatty acids the carbon atom of the methyl group at the end of the hydrocarbon chain is called the omega carbon because omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. Omega-3 fatty acids have a double bond three carbons away from the methyl carbon, whereas omega-6 fatty acids have a double bond six carbons away from the methyl carbon.
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It is an ester formed from omega-6-arachidonic acid (AA: C 20 H 32 O 2; 20:4-n6) and glycerol (C 3 H 8 O 3). [ 12 ] Vertebrates are unable to synthesize polyunsaturated fatty acids because they do not have the necessary fatty acid desaturases to "convert oleic acid (18:1 n -9) into linoleic acid (18:2 n -6) and α-linolenic acid (18:3 n -3)". [ 7 ]