Stearidonic Acid Increases Red Blood Cell and Cardiac Levels of EPA, but not DHA, in Dogs

The omega‐3 fatty acids EPA and DHA are believed to be beneficial to cardiovascular health. Stearidonic acid (SDA; 18:4 ω3) is the delta‐6 desaturase product of α‐linolenic acid (ALA) and may be more readily converted into EPA+DHA than ALA. This study determined the extent and rate of conversion of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The FASEB journal 2006-03, Vol.20 (5), p.A1028-A1028
Main Authors: Harris, William S., Sands, Scott A, Eapen, Alex K, DiRienzo, Maureen A
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The omega‐3 fatty acids EPA and DHA are believed to be beneficial to cardiovascular health. Stearidonic acid (SDA; 18:4 ω3) is the delta‐6 desaturase product of α‐linolenic acid (ALA) and may be more readily converted into EPA+DHA than ALA. This study determined the extent and rate of conversion of SDA into EPA and DHA in dogs. We measured the Omega‐3 Index (EPA+DHA) of cardiac muscle and red blood cell (RBC) membranes obtained from dogs fed SDA at low (21 mg), medium (64 mg), or high (193 mg/kg bw) amounts for 12 wks. EPA (43 mg/kg bw) and sunflower oil served positive and negative controls, respectively. Compared to pre‐treatment levels, all three SDA doses elevated the RBC Omega‐3 Index by wk 4 (fold‐increase respectively, 1.4, 2.5, and 3.1; all p
ISSN:0892-6638
1530-6860
DOI:10.1096/fasebj.20.5.A1028-a