ESSENTIALITY OF DIETARY OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS IN PRIMATES

存在对omega-3或脂肪酸的饮食需求 α-亚麻酸家族一直是人类尚未解决的问题 营养。像omega-6或亚油酸家族一样，omega-3脂肪酸 不能由动物合成。这些脂肪酸的高含量， 尤其是二十二碳六烯酸(22：6 omega-3或DHA)，在 视网膜和大脑皮层的磷脂显示了重要的作用 神经元膜和感光细胞膜的功能。我们现在有了 饮食诱导恒河猴omega-3脂肪酸缺乏症 在整个孕期和婴儿期都被剥夺。虚弱状态为 以生化和功能变化为特征。血浆和 组织中的omega-3脂肪酸水平从出生到两岁就降低了 几年前。大脑和视网膜中的DHA水平大大降低。 缺乏的动物会出现视觉缺陷和异常的视网膜电信号。 我们现在建议继续研究现有的omega-3脂肪酸缺乏症 猴子们来调查这些问题： 1.缺陷状态是否会产生越来越多的视觉表现 随着年龄的增长而失去？ 2.幼年缺陷动物在复合体测试中是否表现出障碍 学习？ 3.用DHA或DHA纠正omega-3脂肪酸缺乏的饮食 亚麻酸可纠正大鼠心脏功能和生化异常 有缺陷的猴子？ 此外，我们建议开始培育一批新的有缺陷的成年动物 女性，以调查以下问题： 4.出生缺陷的婴儿多久才能恢复正常的DHA水平 补充膳食中的omega-3脂肪酸(DHA或亚麻酸 酸)？那么视力损失会被避免吗？ 这些研究将有助于确定灵长类动物#年的营养需求 不同发育阶段的omega-3脂肪酸。这项工作有 对孕妇和哺乳期妇女最佳饮食的影响 婴儿，也许还有年长的人类。最后，这些研究将提供 关于发育中的灵长类大脑的生物化学的信息。

The existence of a dietary requirement for fatty acids of the omega-3 or Alpha-linolenic acid family has been an unresolved issue in human nutrition. Like the omega-6 or linoleic acid family, omega-3 fatty acids cannot be synthesized by animals. The high content of these fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (22:6 omega-3 or DHA), in the phospholipids of the retina and cerebral cortex suggests an important role in the function of neuronal and photoreceptor membranes. We have now produced omega-3 fatty acid deficiency in rhesus monkeys by dietary deprivation throughout gestation and infancy. The deficiency state is characterized by both biochemical and functional changes. The plasma and tissues exhibit reduced levels of omega-3 fatty acids from birth to two years of age. Levels of DHA are greatly reduced in brain and retina. Visual defects and abnormal electroretinograms occur in deficient animals. We now propose to continue studies of existing omega-3 fatty acid deficient monkeys to investigate these questions: 1. Does the deficient state produce increasing manifestations of visual loss with increased age? 2. Do juvenile deficient animals show impairments in tests of complex learning? 3. Will the correction of the omega-3 fatty acid deficient diet with DHA or linolenic acid correct both the functional and biochemical abnormalities of deficient monkeys? In addition, we propose to begin breeding a new group of deficient adult females in order to investigate the following questions: 4. How rapidly will infants deficient at birth regain normal levels of DHA after dietary repletion with dietary omega-3 fatty acids (DHA or linolenic acid)? Will visual loss then be avoided? These studies will help determine the nutritional needs of primates for omega-3 fatty acids during different stages of development. This work has implications for the optimum diet of pregnant and lactating women, human infants, and perhaps of older humans. Finally, these studies will provide information about the biochemistry of the developing primate brain.