Fatty acids, dietary acid effects

FIGURE 3-7 Pathways for the interconversion of brain fatty acids. Palmitic acid (16 0) is the main end product of brain fatty acid synthesis. It may then be elongated, desaturated, and/or P-oxidized to form different long chain fatty acids. The monoenes (18 1 A7, 18 1 A9, 24 1 A15) are the main unsaturated fatty acids formed de novo by A9 desaturation and chain elongation. As shown, the very long chain fatty acids are a-oxidized to form a-hydroxy and odd numbered fatty acids. The polyunsaturated fatty acids are formed mainly from exogenous dietary fatty acids, such as linoleic (18 2, n-6) and a-linoleic (18 2, n-3) acids by chain elongation and desaturation at A5 and A6, as shown. A A4 desaturase has also been proposed, but its existence has been questioned. Instead, it has been shown that unsaturation at the A4 position is effected by retroconversion i.e. A6 unsaturation in the endoplasmic reticulum, followed by one cycle of P-oxidation (-C2) in peroxisomes [11], This is illustrated in the biosynthesis of DHA (22 6, n-3) above. In severe essential fatty acid deficiency, the abnormal polyenes, such as 20 3, n-9 are also synthesized de novo to substitute for the normal polyunsaturated acids. 

Interest in the health effects of anthocyanins was piqued by the French paradox in which the mortality from cardiovascular disease was lower than that predicted from the intake of dietary saturated fatty acids. The beneficial effects were greater in association with alcohol taken in the form of wine suggesting that there may be a protective effect of other components of wine. Needless to say the wine industry was pleased with this research. 

Dietary saturated fatty acids have undesirable effects on plasma lipids... 

What can be done to prevent atherosclerosis For persons with a high LDL level there is little doubt that a decreased dietary intake of cholesterol and a decrease in caloric intake are helpful. While such dietary restriction may be beneficial to the entire population, controlled studies of the effect of dietary modification on atherosclerosis have been disappointing and confusing.33 A diet that is unhealthy for some may be healthy for others. For example, an 88-year old man who ate 25 eggs a day for many years had a normal plasma cholesterol level of 150-200 mg / deciliter (3.9-5.2 mM) bb Comparisons of diets rich in unsaturated fatty acids, palmitic acid, or stearic acid have also been confusing.cc cd/dd Can it be true that palmitic acid from tropical oils and other plant sources promotes atherogenesis, but that both unsaturated fatty acids and stearic acid from animal fats are less dangerous ... 

Offer, N.W., Marsden, M., Dixon, J., Speake, B.K. and Thacker, F.E. (1999) Effect of dietary fat supplements on levels of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, trans acids and conjugated linolenic acid in bovine milk. Animal Sci., 69, 613—625. 

Incorporation of dietary unsaturated fat into milk fat by ruminants is low because of the efficient ruminal biohydrogenation process (Jenkins, 1993). Nevertheless, dietary fatty acids have profound effects on milk fat composition that have led to a prodigious amount of literature in the past 20 years (for reviews see Sutton, 1989 Grummer, 1991 Palmquist et al., 1993 Kennedy, 1996 Mansbridge and Blake, 1997 Chilliard et al., 2000, 2001). 

Appreciable research on the effect of canola oil on plasma cholesterol and lipoproteins has been reported. The primary impetus for this research was the finding that dietary monounsaturated fatty acids were as effective as polyunsaturated fatty acids in lowering plasma total and LDL cholesterol (100, 109). These findings also provided a possible explanation for the observation that canola oil was as effective as soybean oil in lowering plasma cholesterol in normolipidemic men (110). Prevailing theory had held that saturated fatty acids raised plasma cholesterol, polyunsaturated fatty acids lowered plasma cholesterol, and monounsaturated fatty acids were neutral, they neither raised nor lowered plasma cholesterol (111, 112). 

Because the presence of CLA in the human diet is reliant on ruminant products, this chapter first addresses the synthesis of CLA in ruminants. The presence of CLA in ruminant milk and meat is related to rumen fermentation and its synthesis by microorganisms through the process of biohydrogenation (BH) of dietary unsaturated fatty acids. Thus, the effect of diet and processes within the rumen is reviewed. The role of endogenous synthesis of CLA in mammalian tissues has been discovered, and this will be discussed also first as it contributes to the occurrence of CLA in ruminant products and second the significance of endogenous synthesis as a source of CLA in humans and other species. 

Mourente, G. Bell, J.G. (2006). Partial replacement of dietary fish oil with blends of vegetable oils (rap>eseed, linseed and palm oils) in diets for European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) over a long term growth study Effects on muscle and liver fatty acid composition and effectiveness of a fish oil finishing diet. Cortqraratwe Biochemistry and Physiology - Part B, Vol.145, No.3-4, (September 2006), p>p. 389-399, ISSN 1096-4959... 

Dietary n- > polyunsaturated fatty acids contribute additional effects on the cellular prooxidant activity of monocytes. Dietary supplementation of humans with n- > polyunsaturated fatty acids increased the DHA and EPA of monocyte membrane and decreased arachidonic acid. These monocytes produce less superoxide and other reactive oxygen species. The mechanism for this effect of n- > polyunsaturated fatty acids is related to the decrease in arachidonic acid and the resulting bioactive metabolites of arachidonic acid. 

Fish oils and co-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids exhibit hypolipidemic effects and both antiaggregatory and antiinflammatory properties (Table 1), they may lead to complex and only partially understood alterations of cellular interactions. The available data raise the question of the potential therapeutic and preventive value of dietary supplementation with co-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in occlusive vascular diseases. 

Although /3-oxidation is universally important, there are some instances in which it cannot operate effectively. For example, branched-chain fatty acids with alkyl branches at odd-numbered carbons are not effective substrates for /3-oxidation. For such species, a-oxidation is a useful alternative. Consider phy-tol, a breakdown product of chlorophyll that occurs in the fat of ruminant animals such as sheep and cows and also in dairy products. Ruminants oxidize phytol to phytanic acid, and digestion of phytanic acid in dairy products is thus an important dietary consideration for humans. The methyl group at C-3 will block /3-oxidation, but, as shown in Figure 24.26, phytanic acid a-hydroxylase places an —OFI group at the a-carbon, and phytanic acid a-oxidase decar-boxylates it to yield pristanie add. The CoA ester of this metabolite can undergo /3-oxidation in the normal manner. The terminal product, isobutyryl-CoA, can be sent into the TCA cycle by conversion to succinyl-CoA. 

Elner, VM, 2002. Retinal pigment epithelial acid lipase activity and lipoprotein receptors Effects of dietary omega-3 fatty acids. Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc 100, 301-338. 

Wamants N, van Oeckel M J and Boucque C V (1998), Effect of incorporation of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids in pork back-fat on the quality of salami , Meat Sci, 49, 435 145. 

Adrenoleukodystrophy is an X-linked dysmyelinative disorder caused by mutations in the ABCD1 gene, which encodes the peroxisomal integral membrane ALD protein, a member of the ATP binding cassette transporter family. These mutations result in impaired clearance of plasma very-long-chain fatty acids. Affected males may present with symmetrical distal axonal polyneuropathy, adrenocortical insufficiency or CNS demyelination, while occasional heterozygous women demonstrate deficits suggestive of multiple sclerosis [56]. Manipulation of dietary fatty acid intake has some minimal therapeutic effect, while bone marrow transplantation has diminished deficits in a few patients. (See in Ch. 41.)... 

Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), especially the n-3 series that are found in marine fish oils, modulate a variety of normal and disease processes, and consequently affect human health. PUFAs are classified based on the position of double bonds in their lipid structure and include the n-3 and n-6 series. Dietary n-3 PUFAs include a-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) whereas the most common n-6 PUFAs are linoleic acid, y-linolenic acid, and arachidonic acid (AA). AA is the primary precursor of eicosanoids, which includes the prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and thromboxanes. Collectively, these AA-derived mediators can exert profound effects on immune and inflammatory processes. Mammals can neither synthesize n-3 and n-6 PUFAs nor convert one variety to the other as they do not possess the appropriate enzymes. PUFAs are required for membrane formation and function... 

The daily output of fecal fat may be regarded as the simplest quantitative measure of the effect of gluten on these patients. The evidence available suggests that the extra fat is derived from dietary fat and mainly represents interference with absorption. There is usually a disproportionate increase of saturated as compared with unsaturated fats (W4). The reason for this is not clear. There may be selective rejection of longer chain and more saturated fats there may also be increased hydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids (SI). The increase of fat output may occur within a day or 2, or it may be delayed for 10 days or more. There are many possible explanations for this delay. It may require many small insults to the mucous membrane... 

Factors negatively affecting absorption of dietary fat may also be expected to negatively affect absorption of calcium. In the normal, healthy adult, dietary fat absorption is very efficient. However, such factors as level of dietary fat, fatty acid chain length, degree of fatty acid saturatedness, or triglyceride structure may have a measurable effect on calcium absorption under some circumstances. 

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