Commentary : Fatty acids, breastfeeding and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Fatty acid deficiencies are linked to Autism Spectrum Disorder. This commentary discusses the protective role of breastfeeding and the urgency of research into the human infant's intake of colostrum to prevent fatty acid deficiency.

Marine polyunsaturated fatty acids and cancer therapy

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) derived from marine sources, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are widely consumed as supplements within the community. However, the use of marine PUFAs in a therapeutic context is also increasing in patients receiving treatment for a range of cancer types. On balance, the literature suggests that marine PUFAs have potential as an effective adjuvant to chemotherapy treatment, may have direct anticancer effects, and may help ameliorate some of the secondary complications associated with cancer. Although a range of doses have been trialled, it would appear that supplementation of fish oil (>3 g per day) or EPA/DHA (>1 g EPA and >0.8 g DHA per day) is associated with positive clinical outcomes. However, further research is still required to determine the mechanisms via which marine PUFAs are mediating their effects. This review summarises our current understanding of marine PUFAs and cancer therapy.

Assessing the use of milk fatty acids to infer the diet of the Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea)

Information on the diet of threatened species is important in devising appropriate management plans to ensure their conservation. The Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) is Australia’s only endemic and globally one of the least numerous pinniped species. However, dietary information is currently limited because of the difficulty in using traditional methods (identification of prey hard parts from scats, regurgitates and stomach samples) to reliably provide dietary information. The present study assessed the use of fatty acid (FA) analysis to infer diet using milk samples collected from 11 satellite tracked Australian sea lions from Olive Island, South Australia. Satellite tracking revealed that females foraged in two distinct regions; ‘inshore’ regions characterised by shallow bathymetry (10.7 ± 4.8 m) and ‘offshore’ regions characterised by comparatively deep bathymetry (60.5 ± 13.4 m). Milk FA analysis indicated significant differences in the FA composition between females that foraged inshore compared with those that foraged offshore. The greatest differences in relative levels of individual FAs between the inshore and offshore groups were for 22 : 6n-3 (6.5 ± 1.2% compared with 16.5 ± 1.9% respectively), 20 : 4n-6 (6.1 ± 0.7 compared with 2.5 ± 0.7 respectively) and 22 : 4n-6 (2.4 ± 0.2% compared with 0.8 ± 0.2% respectively). Using discriminant scores, crustacean, cephalopod, fish and shark-dominated diets were differentiated. The discriminant scores from Australian sea lions that foraged inshore indicated a mixed fish and shark diet, whereas discriminant scores from Australian sea lions that foraged offshore indicated a fish-dominated diet, although results must be interpreted with caution due to the assumptions associated with the prey FA dataset. FA analysis in combination with satellite tracking proved to be a powerful tool for assessing broad-scale spatial dietary patterns.

Oiling the brain : a review of randomized controlled trials of omega-3 fatty acids in psychopathology across the lifespan

Around one in four people suffer from mental illness at some stage in their lifetime. There is increasing awareness of the importance of nutrition, particularly omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), for optimal brain development and function. Hence in recent decades, researchers have explored effects of n-3 PUFA on mental health problems over the lifespan, from developmental disorders in childhood, to depression, aggression, and schizophrenia in adulthood, and cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in late adulthood. This review provides an updated overview of the published and the registered clinical trials that investigate effects of n-3 PUFA supplementation on mental health and behavior, highlighting methodological differences and issues.

Fatty acid metabolism in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) : effects of n-6 PUFA and MUFA in fish oil replaced diets

Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA)-rich and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-6 PUFA)-rich vegetable oils are increasingly used as fish oil replacers for aquafeed formulation. The present study investigated the fatty acid metabolism in juvenile European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax, 38.4 g) fed diets containing fish oil (FO, as the control treatment) or two different vegetable oils (the MUFA-rich canola/rapeseed oil, CO, and the n-6 PUFA-rich cottonseed oil, CSO) tested individually or as a 50/50 blend (CO/CSO). The whole-body fatty acid balance method was used to deduce the apparent in vivo fatty acid metabolism. No effect on growth performance and feed utilization was recorded. However, it should be noted that the fish meal content of the experimental diets was relatively high, and thus the requirement for n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LC-PUFA) may have likely been fulfilled even if dietary fish oil was fully replaced by vegetable oils. Overall, relatively little apparent in vivo fatty acid bioconversion was recorded, whilst the apparent in vivo ?-oxidation of dietary fatty acid was largely affected by the dietary lipid source, with higher rate of ?-oxidation for those fatty acids which were provided in dietary surplus. The deposition of 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3, as % of the dietary intake, was greatest for the fish fed on the CSO diet. It has been shown that European sea bass seems to be able to efficiently use n-6 PUFA for energy substrate, and this may help in minimizing the ?-oxidation of the health benefiting n-3 LC-PUFA and thus increase their deposition into fish tissues.

Isolation and characterisation of omega-3 fatty acids producing marine microbes

As a renewable alternative to fish oil, microbial-derived omega-3-fatty acids can be potential nutritional supplements. This study reported the isolation of novel oleaginous marine microbes from the Victorian marine environment capable of producing omega-3-fatty acids and other bio-actives. Fermentation strategies using low cost substrates improved omega-3-oils production in selected isolates.