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The conversion of ALA to EPA and further to DHA in humans has been reported to be limited, but varies with individuals. [2] [34] Women have higher ALA-to-DHA conversion efficiency than men, which is presumed [35] to be due to the lower rate of use of dietary ALA for beta-oxidation. One preliminary study showed that EPA can be increased by ...
The conversion rate of ALA into DHA is vulnerable to suppression by dietary fatty acids. ALA intake greater than 1% and total polyunsaturated intake above 3% were found to drastically limit synthesis of EPA and DHA. [12]
The human body can (and in case of a purely vegetarian diet often must unless certain algae or supplements derived from them are consumed) convert ALA to EPA and subsequently DHA. This elongation of ALA is inefficient. Conversion to DHA is higher in women than in men; this is thought to reflect the need to provide DHA to the fetus and infant ...
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 EPA, the most crucial, DHA (22 carbons and 6 double bonds). [2]
It has been claimed that among hunter-gatherer populations, omega-6 fats and omega-3 fats are typically consumed in roughly a 1:1 ratio. [3] [4] [better source needed] At one extreme of the spectrum of hunter-gatherer diets, the Greenland Inuit, prior to the late Twentieth Century, consumed a diet in which omega-6s and omega-3s were consumed in a 1:2 ratio, thanks to a diet rich in cold-water ...
α-Linolenic acid, also known as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) (from Greek alpha meaning "first" and linon meaning flax), is an n−3, or omega-3, essential fatty acid. ALA is found in many seeds and oils, including flaxseed , walnuts , chia , hemp , and many common vegetable oils .
DHA in breast milk is important for the developing infant. [10] Rates of DHA production in women are 15% higher than in men. [11] DHA is a major fatty acid in brain phospholipids and the retina. Preliminary research has investigated its potential benefit in Alzheimer's disease, [1] [12] and cardiovascular disease, [13] and other disorders. [1]
The efficiency of the conversion of ALA to EPA, however, is much lower than the absorption of EPA from food containing it. Because EPA is also a precursor to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), ensuring a sufficient level of EPA on a diet containing neither EPA nor DHA is harder both because of the extra metabolic work required to synthesize EPA and ...