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Azzolino D, Bertoni C, De Cosmi V, Spolidoro GCI, Agostoni C, Lucchi T, Mazzocchi A. Omega-3 polyunsatured fatty acids and physical performance across the lifespan: a narrative review. Front Nutr 2024; 11:1414132. [PMID: 38966419 PMCID: PMC11223594 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1414132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Background and Aims Physical performance is a major contributor of mobility and independence during older life. Despite a progressive decline in musculoskeletal function starts from middle age, several factors acting during the life-course can negatively influence musculoskeletal functional capacities. Lifestyle interventions incorporating nutrition and physical exercise can help maximizing the muscle functional capacities in early life as well as preserving them later in life. Among various dietary compounds, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are gaining growing attention for their potential effects on muscle membrane composition and muscle function. Indeed, several pathways are enhanced, such as an attenuation of pro-inflammatory oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling and reduction of insulin resistance. Methods We performed a narrative review to explore the existing literature on the relationship between omega-3 PUFAs and physical performance across the life-course. Results Growing evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) suggests beneficial effects of omega-3 PUFAs on muscle function, including physical performance parameters in mid to later life. On the other hand, despite a direct association in early life is not available in literature, some mechanisms by which omega-3 PUFAs may contribute to improved adult physical performance could be hypothesized. Conclusion Omega-3 PUFAs are gaining growing attention for their positive effect on muscle function parameters. The integration of physical function measures in future studies would be of great interest to explore whether omega-3 PUFAs could contribute to improved muscle function, starting from early life and extending throughout the lifespan. However, larger and high-quality RCTs are needed to fully elucidate the beneficial effects of omega-3 PUFAs supplementation on muscle mass and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domenico Azzolino
- Geriatric Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Camilla Bertoni
- Department of Veterinary Sciences for Health, Animal Production and Food Safety, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina De Cosmi
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità—Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy
- Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Carlo Agostoni
- Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Pediatric Intermediate Care Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Tiziano Lucchi
- Geriatric Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandra Mazzocchi
- Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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Cardino VN, Goeden T, Yakah W, Ezeamama AE, Fenton JI. New Perspectives on the Associations between Blood Fatty Acids, Growth Parameters, and Cognitive Development in Global Child Populations. Nutrients 2023; 15:nu15081933. [PMID: 37111152 PMCID: PMC10143140 DOI: 10.3390/nu15081933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Malnutrition is prevalent in low-middle-income countries (LMICs), but it is usually clinically diagnosed through abnormal anthropometric parameters characteristic of protein energy malnutrition (PEM). In doing so, other contributors or byproducts of malnutrition, notably essential fatty acid deficiency (EFAD), are overlooked. Previous research performed mainly in high-income countries (HICs) shows that deficiencies in essential fatty acids (EFAs) and their n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) byproducts (also known as highly unsaturated fatty acids or HUFAs) lead to both abnormal linear growth and impaired cognitive development. These adverse developmental outcomes remain an important public health issue in LMICs. To identify EFAD before severe malnutrition develops, clinicians should perform blood fatty acid panels to measure levels of fatty acids associated with EFAD, notably Mead acid and HUFAs. This review demonstrates the importance of measuring endogenous fatty acid levels for measuring fatty acid intake in various child populations in LMICs. Featured topics include a comparison of fatty acid levels between global child populations, the relationships between growth and cognition and PUFAs and the possible mechanisms driving these relationships, and the potential importance of EFAD and HUFA scores as biomarkers of overall health and normal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa N Cardino
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Travis Goeden
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - William Yakah
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Amara E Ezeamama
- Department of Psychiatry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Jenifer I Fenton
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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Sinclair AJ, Wang Y, Li D. What Is the Evidence for Dietary-Induced DHA Deficiency in Human Brains? Nutrients 2022; 15:nu15010161. [PMID: 36615819 PMCID: PMC9824463 DOI: 10.3390/nu15010161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a major constituent of neural and visual membranes and is required for optimal neural and visual function. DHA is derived from food or by endogenous synthesis from α-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential fatty acid. Low blood levels of DHA in some westernised populations have led to speculations that child development disorders and various neurological conditions are associated with sub-optimal neural DHA levels, a proposition which has been supported by the supplement industry. This review searched for evidence of deficiency of DHA in human populations, based on elevated levels of the biochemical marker of n-3 deficiency, docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n-6). Three scenarios/situations were identified for the insufficient supply of DHA, namely in the brain of new-born infants fed with high-linoleic acid (LA), low-ALA formulas, in cord blood of women at birth who were vegetarians and in the milk of women from North Sudan. Twenty post-mortem brain studies from the developed world from adults with various neurological disorders revealed no evidence of raised levels of 22:5n-6, even in the samples with reduced DHA levels compared with control subjects. Human populations most likely at risk of n-3 deficiency are new-born and weanling infants, children and adolescents in areas of dryland agriculture, in famines, or are refugees, however, these populations have rarely been studied. This is an important topic for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J. Sinclair
- Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Notting Hill, VIC 3168, Australia
- Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC 3152, Australia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +61-(0)414-906-341
| | - Yonghua Wang
- School of Food Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China
| | - Duo Li
- Institute of Nutrition & Health, College of Public Health, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
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Crawford MA, Wang Y, Marsh DE, Johnson MR, Ogundipe E, Ibrahim A, Rajkumar H, Kowsalya S, Kothapalli KSD, Brenna JT. Neurodevelopment, nutrition and genetics. A contemporary retrospective on neurocognitive health on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 2022; 180:102427. [PMID: 35413515 PMCID: PMC9152880 DOI: 10.1016/j.plefa.2022.102427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In celebration of the centenary of the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad, India (1918-2018), a symposium highlighted the progress in nutrition knowledge made over the century, as well as major gaps in implementation of that knowledge. Brain famine caused by a shortage of nutrients required for perinatal brain development has unfortunately become a global reality, even as protein-calorie famine was largely averted by the development of high yield crops. While malnutrition remains widespread, the neglect of global food policies that support brain development and maintenance are most alarming. Brain disorders now top the list of the global burden of disease, even with obesity rising throughout the world. Neurocognitive health, remarkably, is seldom listed among the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and is therefore seldom considered as a component of food policy. Most notably, the health of mothers before conception and through pregnancy as mediated by proper nutrition has been neglected by the current focus on early death in non-neurocognitive NCDs, thereby compromising intellectual development of the ensuing generations. Foods with balanced essential fatty acids and ample absorbable micronutrients are plentiful for populations with access to shore-based foods, but deficient only a few kilometres away from the sea. Sustained access to brain supportive foods is a priority for India and throughout the world to enable each child to develop to their intellectual potential, and support a prosperous, just, and peaceful world. Nutrition education and food policy should place the nutritional requirements for the brain on top of the list of priorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Crawford
- Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Campus of Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yiqun Wang
- Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Campus of Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - David E Marsh
- Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Campus of Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mark R Johnson
- Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Campus of Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Enitan Ogundipe
- Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Campus of Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ahamed Ibrahim
- National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad, India
| | - Hemalatha Rajkumar
- National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad, India
| | - S Kowsalya
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women (Deemed to be University), Coimbatore, India
| | - Kumar S D Kothapalli
- Dell Pediatric Research Institute, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, 1400 Barbara Jordan Blvd, Austin, TX 78723, United States.
| | - J T Brenna
- Dell Pediatric Research Institute, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, 1400 Barbara Jordan Blvd, Austin, TX 78723, United States.
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