Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Modulators of Antioxidant Defense

Filed in archive Diet , Dietary Supplements and Vitamins , Studies on May 28, 2008

Next times when you consider boosting your body's antioxidant defense don't think of vitamin C or vitamin E only: think fish!


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By adding polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids (EPA & DHA) commonly found in fish, researchers from the Paris-based Laboratory of Micronutrients and Cardiovascular Disease (Université Pierre et Marie Curie) were able to protect endothelial cells from cell death caused by oxidative stress.

In this paper we provide cellular evidence for the antioxidant actions of polyunsaturated fatty acids, namely of those of the omega-3 series. Though common knowledge on fatty acids holds it that the higher degree of unsaturation the higher susceptibility to oxidation, several lines of evidence indicate that this assumption does not always hold true. (...)

Supplementation of endothelial cells (HAEC) with polyunsaturated fatty acids of the omega-3 series resulted in lower formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), as compared with cells supplemented with saturates, monounsaturates, or polyunsaturates of the omega 6 series (...). From a cardiopreventive viewpoint, our observations, obtained in HAEC, might bear clinical significance.

It contrast to what one would expect, the omega-3 fatty acids did not get oxidized themselves suggesting that they might deploy their cell-protective potential by significantly up-regulating the cell's antioxidant defense network in an indirect manner.

This makes perfectly sense as most diseases in which omega-3 fatty acids show a health-improving effect are characterized by elevated oxidative stress.

The study has been published online in Pharmacological Research.