Role Of Alpha-linolenic Acid Research Articles

The Role of Alpha Linolenic Acid on Neuroinflammation: A Systemic Review

Neuroinflammation, an inflammatory response within the central nervous system (CNS), plays a critical role in various neurological disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases. Alpha linolenic acid (ALA), an essential omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, has shown promising health benefits due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This article aims to thoroughly examine the potential effects of ALA in reducing neuroinflammation, emphasizing its roles as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent. The review focuses on studies published between 2018 and 2023, sourced from reputable academic databases such as PubMed, Semantic Scholar, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect, with nine key papers selected. The findings indicate that ALA significantly mitigates neuroinflammation by decreasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) via the Nrf-2/HO-1/JNK signaling pathway. Additionally, ALA reduces inflammatory cytokines by inhibiting p-JNK activation, disrupting lipid rafts, blocking the pro-inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB, and altering cell membrane phospholipid composition. The review concludes that ALA may have potential therapeutic effects in reducing neuroinflammation through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions, offering possible benefits for various neurological conditions, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

The Importance of Plant-Based Omega-3 Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA) and its Role in Promoting the Development of Children's Brain: A Narrative Review

The increasing global trend towards plant-based diets emphasizes the importance of incorporating nutrient-rich plant-based foods while reducing the consumption of animal products. Within this context, Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA), a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid, which plays a pivotal role in maintaining overall health. Its significance extends to supporting proper growth and development in infants and children, as well as facilitating brain development and function during childhood. ALA also contributes to other omega-3s and helps maintain a balanced ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids. Despite its essential functions, the impact of plant-based omega-3 ALA on brain function is often overlooked. Thus, this narrative review aims to delve into the role of ALA in promoting brain health in children.

Red blood cell omega-3 fatty acids and attention scores in healthy adolescents

Omega-3 fatty acids are critical for brain function. Adolescence is increasingly believed to entail brain vulnerability to dietary intake. In contrast to the abundant research on the omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in cognition, research on DHA and attention in healthy adolescents is scarce. In addition, the role of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the vegetable omega-3 fatty acid, is unexplored. We examined associations between DHA and ALA and attention function among a healthy young population. In this cross-sectional study conducted in 372 adolescents (13.8 ± 0.9 years-old), we determined the red blood cell proportions of DHA and ALA by gas chromatography (objective biomarkers of their long-term dietary intake) and measured attention scores through the Attention Network Test. We constructed multivariable linear regression models to analyze associations, controlling for known confounders. Compared to participants at the lowest DHA tertile (reference), those at the highest DHA tertile showed significantly lower hit reaction time-standard error (higher attentiveness) (28.13 ms, 95% confidence interval [CI] = – 52.30; – 3.97), lower hit reaction time ( – 38.30 ms, 95% CI = – 73.28; – 3.33) and lower executive conflict response ( – 5.77 ms, 95% CI = – 11.44; – 0.09). In contrast, higher values were observed in those at the top tertile of ALA in hit reaction time compared to the lowest one (46.14 ms, 95% CI = 9.90; 82.34). However, a beneficial association was observed for ALA, with decreasing impulsivity index across tertiles. Overall, our results suggest that DHA (reflecting its dietary intake) is associated with attention performance in typically developing adolescents. The role of dietary ALA in attention is less clear, although higher blood levels of ALA appear to result in lower impulsivity. Future intervention studies are needed to determine the causality of these associations and to better shape dietary recommendations for brain health during the adolescence period.

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Risk of Ischemic Stroke.

Ischemic stroke is a major cause of death and morbidity worldwide. It has been suggested that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may be associated with a lower risk ischemic stroke, but this has been far less studied than their role for coronary heart disease. In this paper, we summarize the main findings from previous follow-up studies investigating associations between intake or biomarkers of the major PUFAs including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), marine n-3 PUFAs and linoleic acid (LA) and the development of ischemic stroke. Several follow-up studies have suggested that marine n-3 PUFAs may be associated with a lower risk of ischemic stroke although results have not been consistent and limited knowledge exist on the individual marine n-3 PUFAs and ischemic stroke and its subtypes. The role of ALA is less clear, but most studies have not supported that ALA is appreciably associated with ischemic stroke risk. Some studies have supported that LA might be associated with a lower risk of total ischemic stroke, while limited evidence exist on PUFAs and ischemic stroke subtypes. The associations may depend on the macronutrients that PUFAs replace and this substitution aspect together with focus on dietary patterns represent interesting areas for future research.

Benefits on body fat composition of isocalorically controlled diets including functionally optimized meat products: Role of alpha-linolenic acid

The effects on body composition and cardiovascular risk of functional meat products, within a balanced diet, were investigated in a randomized, double-blind, 10-week nutritional intervention. Fifty-four adults were distributed in three groups, consuming 600 g/week of a reference meat product (RP), optimized nutritional product-1 (ONP-1), lower in fat, or ONP-2, n-3 PUFA enriched. Measures were performed at baseline and the endpoint. All groups lost fat mass, being subjects on the ONP-2 group those with more fat loss (p = 0.042) compared to the other groups. Correlation analyses evidenced significant associations between alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) intake and plasma levels (p = 0.001), as well as between plasma levels and fat mass changes (p = 0.03). The inclusion of optimized meat products, with n-3 PUFA (Polyunsaturated fatty acids) and an improved nutritional profile may be a healthy strategy, as a functional food, within an isocalorically controlled diet. ALA consumption may play a role in body composition changes.

Omega-3 fatty acids: How can they be used in secondary prevention?

Omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) are divided into long-chain fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid ), which are found in fatty fish, and intermediate-chain FAs (alpha-linolenic acid), which are found in vegetable oils. Omega-3 FAs favorably modulate a variety of vascular risk factors and also exert antiarrhythmic effects. Epidemiologic data suggest that increased consumption of marine omega-3 FAs is associated with reduced coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality. Randomized controlled studies also show that supplementation with EPA and DHA reduces CHD risk, primarily in the secondary prevention setting. Data are more limited on the efficacy of marine omega-3 FAs for the primary prevention of CHD and on the role of alpha-linolenic acid. Increased intake of EPA and DHA represents a valuable tool for vascular disease prevention and should be recommended in all patients with CHD.

Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants in edible wild plants.

Human beings evolved on a diet that was balanced in the omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and was high in antioxidants. Edible wild plants provide alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and higher amounts of vitamin E and vitamin C than cultivated plants. In addition to the antioxidant vitamins, edible wild plants are rich in phenols and other compounds that increase their antioxidant capacity. It is therefore important to systematically analyze the total antioxidant capacity of wild plants and promote their commercialization in both developed and developing countries. The diets of Western countries have contained increasingly larger amounts of linoleic acid (LA), which has been promoted for its cholesterol-lowering effect. It is now recognized that dietary LA favors oxidative modification of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and increases platelet response to aggregation. In contrast, ALA intake is associated with inhibitory effects on the clotting activity of platelets, on their response to thrombin, and on the regulation of arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism. In clinical studies, ALA contributed to lowering of blood pressure, and a prospective epidemiological study showed that ALA is inversely related to the risk of coronary heart disease in men. Dietary amounts of LA as well as the ratio of LA to ALA appear to be important for the metabolism of ALA to longer-chain omega-3 PUFAs. Relatively large reserves of LA in body fat. as are found in vegans or in the diet of omnivores in Western societies, would tend to slow down the formation of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids from ALA. Therefore, the role of ALA in human nutrition becomes important in terms of long-term dietary intake. One advantage of the consumption of ALA over omega-3 fatty acids from fish is that the problem of insufficient vitamin E intake does not exist with high intake of ALA from plant sources.