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The human body converts a portion of absorbed alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) to EPA. ALA is itself an essential fatty acid, and humans need an appropriate supply of it. The efficiency of the conversion of ALA to EPA, however, is much lower than the absorption of EPA from food containing it.
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 ...
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]
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 .
Other dietary essential fatty acids are involved in inflammatory signalling and can oppose the impact of the arachidonic acid cascade. For example, EPA (20:5 ω-3) competes with AA and is ingested from oily fish, algae oil, or alpha-linolenic acid (derived from walnuts, hemp oil, and flax oil).
Mammals lack the ability to introduce double bonds in fatty acids beyond carbon 9 and 10, hence the omega−6 linoleic acid (18:2n−6; LA) and the omega−3 alpha-linolenic acid (18:3n−3; ALA) are essential for humans in the diet. However, humans can convert both LA and ALA to fatty acids with longer carbon chains and a larger number of ...
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 ...
Limited amounts of eicosapentaenoic and docosapentaenoic acids are possible products of α-linolenic acid metabolism in young women [9] and men. [8] 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.