Author
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Rosenberg, Irwin |
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Submitted to: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Publication Type: Other Publication Acceptance Date: 7/26/2007 Publication Date: 11/1/2007 Citation: Rosenberg, I. 2007. Rethinking brain food. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 86(5):1259-1260. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: If omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids are the functional food du jour, then that "jour" must first have been the 5th day of creation (according to Genesis 1:21), when the marine fish were created and exhorted to be fruitful and multiply. The exact time when these marine species became "brain food" for people with their component of oils rich in n-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids is clouded in the history of intelligent design. These flexible oils have had a distinguished history since in chemistry and nutrition science, ranging from explanations from how their presence in the diet has protected Eskimos from heart disease or sudden death to antidotes for arthritis and chronic inflammatory conditions, hyper immune states, and improved brain development and maintenance. Beneficial effects have been attributed to the presence of these n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in cardiac myocyte membrane phospholipids in the brain membrane phospholipids (especially DHA) as precursors of both eicosenoids and prostaglandins. |
