Abstract
Dietary fats are generally fatty acids that may play positive or negative roles in the prevention and treatment of diseases. In nature, fatty acids occur in the form of mixtures of saturated fatty acid (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), so their nutritional and/or medicinal values must be determined. Herein, we do not consider the classic indices, such as ∑SFA, ∑MUFA, ∑PUFA, ∑n-6 PUFA, ∑n-3 PUFA, and n-6 PUFA/n-3 PUFA; instead, we summarize and review the definitions, implications, and applications of indices used in recent years, including the PUFA/SFA, index of atherogenicity (IA), the index of thrombogenicity (IT), the hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio (HH), the health-promoting index (HPI), the unsaturation index (UI), the sum of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (EPA + DHA), fish lipid quality/flesh lipid quality (FLQ), the linoleic acid/α-linolenic acid (LA/ALA) ratio, and trans fatty acid (TFA). Of these nutritional indices, IA and IT are the most commonly used to assess the composition of fatty acids as they outline significant implications and provide clear evidence. EPA + DHA is commonly used to assess the nutritional quality of marine animal products. All indices have their advantages and disadvantages; hence, a rational choice of which to use is critical.
Highlights
Fatty acids (FAs) are organic acids with at least one carboxyl (–C(=O)OH, –COOH, or –CO2H) group and a long carbon chain whose links can be double bonds, as in unsaturated fatty acids, or single bonds, as in saturated fatty acids
Rincón-Cervera et al studied the fatty acid composition of fish and shellfish captured in the South Pacific, and the results showed that eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) ranged between 115.15 and 1370.67 mg/100 g in all studied fish species and between 63.61 and 522.68 mg/100 g in all studied shellfish species [34]
We summarized 10 FA indices that have been commonly used in the literature to characterized FA composition
Summary
Fatty acids (FAs) are organic acids with at least one carboxyl (–C(=O)OH, –COOH, or –CO2H) group and a long carbon chain whose links can be double bonds, as in unsaturated fatty acids, or single bonds, as in saturated fatty acids. SFAs may increase the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) as well as disease progression, whereas PUFAs may have beneficial effects in MS patients [7] As another example, some essential FA metabolites may exert health effects such as anti-inflammatory and neuroprotection effects, but they can produce negative effects such as inflammation, necrosis promoters, and atherosclerosis. FAs are obtained from various dietary sources that possess characteristic FA composition and influence health outcome From this perspective, the FA composition should be assessed to determine their nutritional and/or medicinal value, especially in fatty-acid-rich foods, food supplements, and herb-based medicines. It may help newcomers to the field of fatty acid profile analysis to quickly and accurately select appropriate indices
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