TY - JOUR
T1 - Optimizing DHA levels in piglets by lowering the linoleic acid to α-linolenic acid ratio
AU - Blank, Cordula
AU - Neumann, Mark A.
AU - Makrides, Maria
AU - Gibson, Robert A.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2002/9
Y1 - 2002/9
N2 - We examined the effect of altering the linoleic acid (LA, 18:2n-6) to α-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n-3) ratio in the dietary fats of 3 day old piglets fed formula for 3 weeks. The LA-ALA ratios of the experimental formulas were 0.5:1, 1:1, 2:1, 4:1, and 10:1. The level of LA was held constant at 13% of total fats while the level of ALA varied from 1.3% (10:1 group) to 26.8% (0.5:1 group). Incorporation of the n-3 long chain PUFA EPA and 22:5n-3 into erythrocytes, plasma, liver, and brain tissues was linearly related to dietary ALA. Conversely, incorporation of DHA into all tissues was related to dietary ALA in a curvilinear manner, with the maximum incorporation of DHA appearing to be between the LA-ALA ratios of 4:1 and 2:1. Feeding LA-ALA ratios of 10:1 and 0.5:1 resulted in lower and similar proportions of DHA in tissues despite the very different levels of dietary ALA (1.3 vs. 26.8% of total fats, respectively). These results are relevant to term infant studies in that they confirm our earlier findings of the positive effect on DHA status by lowering the LA-ALA ratio from 10:1 to 3:1 or 4:1, and they predict that ratios of LA-ALA below 4:1 would have little further beneficial effect on DHA status.
AB - We examined the effect of altering the linoleic acid (LA, 18:2n-6) to α-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n-3) ratio in the dietary fats of 3 day old piglets fed formula for 3 weeks. The LA-ALA ratios of the experimental formulas were 0.5:1, 1:1, 2:1, 4:1, and 10:1. The level of LA was held constant at 13% of total fats while the level of ALA varied from 1.3% (10:1 group) to 26.8% (0.5:1 group). Incorporation of the n-3 long chain PUFA EPA and 22:5n-3 into erythrocytes, plasma, liver, and brain tissues was linearly related to dietary ALA. Conversely, incorporation of DHA into all tissues was related to dietary ALA in a curvilinear manner, with the maximum incorporation of DHA appearing to be between the LA-ALA ratios of 4:1 and 2:1. Feeding LA-ALA ratios of 10:1 and 0.5:1 resulted in lower and similar proportions of DHA in tissues despite the very different levels of dietary ALA (1.3 vs. 26.8% of total fats, respectively). These results are relevant to term infant studies in that they confirm our earlier findings of the positive effect on DHA status by lowering the LA-ALA ratio from 10:1 to 3:1 or 4:1, and they predict that ratios of LA-ALA below 4:1 would have little further beneficial effect on DHA status.
KW - Brain
KW - Fatty acid metabolism
KW - Formula
KW - Plasma
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0036737794&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1194/jlr.M200152-JLR200
DO - 10.1194/jlr.M200152-JLR200
M3 - Article
C2 - 12235186
AN - SCOPUS:0036737794
SN - 0022-2275
VL - 43
SP - 1537
EP - 1543
JO - Journal of Lipid Research
JF - Journal of Lipid Research
IS - 9
ER -