Eicosapentaenoic acid , health benefits

Health Benefits of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid... 

Either native winterized or concentrated whole-body fish oils or fish liver oils have been utilized in most studies as dietary source of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The physiological effects and possible health benefits of administered fish oils generally have been attributed to either EPA or DHA alone or to a synergistic effect between the two. As a result, there has been controversy over the contribution of individual fish oil constituents to particular pharmacological actions and the optimal dosages required for achieving established and/or suspected beneficial effects. The predominant marine triglyceride-derived m-3-fatty acids are all-cA-5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentaenoic acid (C20 5i3, EPA) and all-ci.v-4,7,10,13,16,19-docosa-hexaenoic acid (C22 6,3, DHA). 

The cd-3 FAs eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA C20 5 cd-3) and docosahexae-noic acid (DHA C22 6 co-3) are known to deliver greater health benefit than the shorter, less-unsaturated precursor molecule a-linolenic acid (ALA C18 3 cd-3). EPA and DHA are traditionally derived from algal and marine sources, whereas ALA is typically found in oils from various terrestrial plants, notably flax, chia, and canola, which contain between 15% and 65% ALA in their oil fractions. ALA is the widely consumed plant-derived cd-3 in human diets, with a reported efficiency of conversion to EPA of 2-8%, depending on total PUFA in the diet (Gibson et al., 2013) (Fig. 12.2). 

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