Abstract

OMEGA-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS METABOLISM AND PREVENTION OF SOME SOCIALLY SIGNIFICANT DISEASES

B. Hadzhieva, M. Dimitrov, D. Obreshkova, V. Petkova*, P. Atanasov, P. Kasnakova

ABSTRACT

The fat content of the human body is about 97% saturated and monounsaturated fat, with only 3 % polyunsaturated fats. Half of that three percent is Omega-3 fats, and that balance needs to be kept. Vegetable oils contain very high levels of polyunsaturated fats, and these oils have replaced many of the saturated fats in our diets since the 1950s. The first evidence for the important role of dietary intake of omega-3 essential fatty acids (PUFAs) in inflammation was derived from epidemiological observations of the low incidence of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis, asthma and type-1 diabetes, as well as the complete absence of multiple sclerosis in a population of Greenland. Most of these diseases are characterized by unexplained activation of T cells resulting from the destruction of host tissues. In the 1980's some evidence suggested that changes in the natural history of hypertensive, atherosclerotic and chronic inflammatory disorders may be achieved by altering availability of eicosanoid precursors. Native Greenland Eskimos and Japanese have a high dietary intake of long chain omega-3 PUFA from seafood and a low incidence of myocardial infarction and chronic inflammatory or autoimmune disorders, even when compared to their Westernized ethnic counterparts. The metabolism of taken omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids has important meaning for the prevention of certain socially important diseases.

Keywords: Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), metabolism, disease.