Category Archives: Arachidonic Acid

DHA: Boost Your Brain

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 (n-3)) is a long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid found in cold water fatty fish such as trout, tuna, mackerel, salmon and sardines. These fish bioaccumulate DHA from marine algae that are able to synthesise the fatty … Continue reading →

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Sudden Infant Death And GLA

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Robert Barrington

Sudden infant death syndrome SIDS is not fully understood. A number of theories have been presented to explain this unfortunate and devastating event, some of which involve nutritional mechanisms. In 1980, a theory was presented by Johnson and his coworkers … Continue reading →

Posted in Abdominal Obesity, Arachidonic Acid, Breastfeeding, de Novo Lipogenesis, Delta 5-desaturase, Dihomo Gamma Linolenic Acid, Eicosanoids, Essential Fatty Acids, Gamma Linolenic Acid, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Linoleic Acid, Liver, Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Pregnancy | Comments Off on Sudden Infant Death And GLA

Hydrogenated, trans and Deodorised Fats

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) from plants have important health implications because two of these fatty acids, α-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3 (n-3)) and linoleic acid (LA, C18:2 (n-6)) are essential to health. Unsaturated fatty acids have double bonds that gives the … Continue reading →

Posted in Alpha Linolenic Acid, Arachidonic Acid, Dihomo Gamma Linolenic Acid, Docosahexaenoic Acid, Eicosanoids, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Essential Fatty Acids, Fish Oils, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Linoleic Acid, Trans Fatty Acids | Tagged , | Comments Off on Hydrogenated, trans and Deodorised Fats

Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors: The Sword of Damocles

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Robert Barrington

yclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors are a sub-group of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These drugs, that include common over the counter medicines such as aspirin and ibuprofen, inhibit the cyclooxygenase enzymes non-selectively. Cyclooxygenases are a group of enzymes required for eicosanoid (prostanoid) … Continue reading →

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Fish Oil: Responders and Non-Responders

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Robert Barrington

vidence suggests that some of the inconclusive results in nutritional intervention studies may be due to the presence of non-responders within the study population. For example, calcium is able to lower blood pressure in some individuals with hypertension, but a … Continue reading →

Posted in Arachidonic Acid, Cardiovascular Disease, Docosahexaenoic Acid, Eicosanoids, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Essential Fatty Acids, Fish Oils, Inflammation | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Fish Oil: Responders and Non-Responders

Does Vitamin E Decrease Platelet Aggregation?

Posted on July 20, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Detrimental changes to platelet aggregation can be caused by an imbalance in dietary intake of the essential fatty acids. This is because both α-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3 (n-3)) and linoleic acid (LA, C18:2 (n-6)) are converted to other fatty acids … Continue reading →

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So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Robert Barrington

pidemiological studies suggest that consuming fish is associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Fish may be protective of cardiovascular disease because of the long-chain fatty acids contained within it. Fish oil accumulates in the skin of some species … Continue reading →

Posted in Alpha Linolenic Acid, Arachidonic Acid, Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Disease, Delta 5-desaturase, Delta 6-desaturase, Docosahexaenoic Acid, Docosanoids, Docosapentaenoic Acid, Eicosanoids, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Essential Fatty Acids, Fish, Fish Oils | Tagged , | Comments Off on So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

Farmed Versus Wild Fish: Omega 3 to 6 Ratio Differences

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Robert Barrington

The long-chain fatty acids eicosapentanoic acid (EPA, C20:5 (n-3)) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA, C22:6 (n-3)) have been shown to be beneficial to human health. The benefits of EPA and DHA derive from their physiological role in the synthesis of cell … Continue reading →

Posted in Alpha Linolenic Acid, Arachidonic Acid, Docosahexaenoic Acid, Docosanoids, Eicosanoids, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Fish, Fish Oils | Tagged | Comments Off on Farmed Versus Wild Fish: Omega 3 to 6 Ratio Differences

Essential Fatty Acids: The Ratio is the Key

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Robert Barrington

The fatty acids α-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3 (n-3)) and linoleic acid (LA, C18:2 (n-6)) are essential in animals including humans, and therefore required in the diet. Deficiency of either fatty acid causes disease and death. Both fatty acids are converted … Continue reading →

Posted in Alpha Linolenic Acid, Arachidonic Acid, Cardiovascular Disease, Docosahexaenoic Acid, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Essential Fatty Acids, Fatty Acids, Fish, Fish Oils, Linoleic Acid, Weight Loss | Comments Off on Essential Fatty Acids: The Ratio is the Key

EPA and DHA: Regulators of Desaturase Expression

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Robert Barrington

Understanding genetic defects and their effects on metabolic pathways can be useful in the nutritional sciences. This is because diet can influence enzyme activity to a similar extent as genes. For example, Kilmer McCully identified homocysteine as a causative factor … Continue reading →

Posted in Alpha Linolenic Acid, Arachidonic Acid, Delta 5-desaturase, Delta 6-desaturase, Dihomo Gamma Linolenic Acid, Docosahexaenoic Acid, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Essential Fatty Acids, Fish Oils | Comments Off on EPA and DHA: Regulators of Desaturase Expression