(28-01-08) Milestone Report Links Long-ChainOmega-3s with Prevention of Parkinson?s Disease

Papers with the potential to redirect our thinking about diseases are rare, but the report from Laval University?s Frederic Calon might do it for Parkinson?s disease. In an elegant series of experiments using a time-tested mimic of Parkinson?s disease induced by a chemical, Calon?s group showed that the consumption of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFAs)?mainly DHA?protected Parkinson?s animals from losing their dopamine-producing neurons. Animals without n-3 LC-PUFAs lost 30% of these essential cells. The implication is that sufficient brain docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) might be able to prevent the onset of Parkinson?s disease. The study says nothing about the usefulness of DHA once the disease has begun and Parkinson?s is seldom detected before most of the neurons in the substantia nigra have been destroyed. Could this study nudge us to nourish the brain more effectively?

This year-end issue includes several articles relating to infant and child health. Researchers in Italy and the Netherlands used a novel stable isotope method to determine how much LC-PUFAs a preterm infant can make and concluded that LC-PUFA synthesis is ?far from trivial in early life.? Two studies from Australia reported that taking a high dose of fish oil in the last part of pregnancy increased the content of n-3 LC-PUFAs in the mother?s milk and in the infant for at least 6 weeks after delivery. High breast milk DHA was associated with higher cognitive scores in the children at age 2? years. Maternal fish oil consumption was also related to diminished inflammatory immune responses in the infants, all of whom had a family history of allergic diseases.

A study from Spain reported that more frequent fish consumption in children 6? years of age at higher risk of allergies was linked to significantly lower chance of developing allergic conditions. Evidence now suggests that maternal intake of n-3 LC-PUFAs in pregnancy and a child?s consumption of fish are associated with lower risk of childhood allergies.

Additional evidence that eating fish regularly or having higher amounts of n-3 LC-PUFAs in the blood are characteristic of older people who have escaped dementia or Alzheimer?s disease, came from studies in France and the Netherlands. In Norway, participants in their 70s who consumed fish at least once a week had superior mental abilities compared with those who avoided eating fish. But genes have an effect, too. Not only was this fact demonstrated with fish consumption and risk of dementia, but a different gene version turned out to be a co-conspirator in a study of nature and nurture related to breast-feeding and IQ. Read more about it in Frontiers.

This year contributed many advances to our understanding of how and where PUFAs work. It brought bolder recommendations for higher n-3 LC-PUFA consumption for heart health and infant development, and for treating certain mental disorders. The new year?s challenge will be to urge their widespread adoption.

We wish all readers peace, caring friendships and banishment of worries during the holidays.
[email protected], Joyce Nettleton, DSc

Source: Pufa newsletter

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