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Dietary omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and neonatal liver metabolism

University of British Columbia

It is well-known that the n-3 fatty acids are important regulators of fat and glucose metabolism in adult liver; however, to date most research on the importance of n-3 fatty acids in early development has focused on the brain, with little consideration of effects on other organs. This research addressed the importance of the essential n-3 and n-6 fatty acids for the liver during early development. A series of studies were conducted to address the impact of the amount, balance, and types of n-6 and n-3 fatty acids in the maternal diet and infant milk diet on lipids, protein abundance, gene expression, and relevant metabolites in the developing liver. Using milk-formula fed piglets, the first study demonstrated that the supply of n-6 and n-3 fatty acids impacts infant liver fatty acids, with high dietary n-6 fatty acids decreasing hepatic n-3 fatty acids in a pattern similar to n-3 fatty acid deficiency. Using the rat to address the impact of maternal fatty acid nutrition in gestation and lactation on the infant liver, the second study showed that adding n-3 fatty acids to the maternal diet lead to higher long chain n-3 fatty acids in neonatal liver, and this was associated with higher expression of enzymes of fatty acid oxidation and lower expression of enzymes of glycolysis and amino acid catabolism, with altered amino acid patterns when compared to n-3 fatty acid deficiency. In the third study, providing long chain n-3 fatty acids in the maternal diet led to marked increase in long chain n-3 fatty acids in milk and in the liver of the milk-fed rat pups, and this was associated with lower gene expression for enzymes of fatty acid synthesis and glycolysis and higher gene expression for an enzyme of ketogenesis in the neonatal liver. These studies provide new knowledge to show that the amount, types and balance of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids in the maternal and infant diet are relevant to hepatic metabolic regulation in the early postnatal period. Nutrition support of young infants should consider the needs and functions of n-3 fatty acids beyond the brain.

Text

2011-08-17

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/36743

Human Nutrition

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/