Blood Fatty Acid Analysis Reveals Similar n-3 Fatty Acid Composition in Non-Pregnant and Pregnant Women and Their Neonates in an Israeli Pilot Study

Maternal nutrition, especially relating to essential fatty acids (EFAs), is an important factor in determining fetal growth and development and in preconditioning adulthood health or disease [1] .Docosahexaenoic (DHA, 20:6 n-3) is the n-3 fatty acid with the highest concentration in the brain and it is critical, together with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA 20:5 n-3), for the brain growth and functional development of infants and for the maintenance of normal brain [2] . DHA is an important component of neural and retinal membranes where it accumulates rapidly during fetal development [3], whereas EPA, competes with arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n –6) for the enzymes like cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase involved in eicosanoid formation .

Source: Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids - August 30, 2021 Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Alicia Leikin-Frenkel, Aya Mohr –Sasson, Matan Anteby, Michal Kandel-Kfir, Ayelet Harari, Roni Rahav, Yehuda Kamari, Aviv Shaish, Dror Harats, Hofit Cohen, Israel Hendler Source Type: research