Logo - Rejuvenal
Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA)
Most common fatty acid on the planet.
ALA is the first and essential fatty acid of the Omega 3-series. It is mainly found in green leafy plants and vegetables. Flax seed oil is an other resource, as is pumpkinseed oil. Most other seed oils contain much more Omega 6 than 3 and are therefor not the prefered oil of choise to improve the Omega 3-6 ratio which should be close to 1:1. Some seeds such as corn and soy are even genetically modified to have more Linoleic Acid (LN) and less ALA. This is done since ALA is not very stable and might turn rancid easy. However, the downside is clear; more omega-6 means more inflammation. ALA is also found in Shark Liver Oil such as OmegaMatrix. ALA can be converted into EPA and DHA, other important omega-3 fatty acids.
Flaxseed oil and fish-oil capsule consumption alters human red blood cell n-3 fatty acid composition: a multiple-dosing trial comparing 2 sources of n-3 fatty acid.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Sep;88(3):801-9.
Barceló-Coblijn G, Murphy EJ, Othman R, Moghadasian MH, Kashour T, Friel JK.
Department of Pharmacology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA.
BACKGROUND: An increase in plasma n-3 fatty acid content, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3; EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3; DHA), is observed after consumption of fish oil-enriched supplements. Because alpha-linolenic acid (18:3n-3; ALA) is the direct precursor of EPA and DHA, ALA-enriched supplements such as flax may have a similar effect, although this hypothesis has been challenged because of reported low conversion of ALA into DHA.
OBJECTIVE: To address this question, we designed a clinical trial in which flax oil, fish-oil, and sunflower oil (placebo group) capsules were given to firefighters (n = 62), a group traditionally exposed to cardiovascular disease risk factors.
DESIGN: Firefighters were randomly divided into 6 experimental groups receiving 1.2, 2.4, or 3.6 g flax oil/d; 0.6 or 1.2 g fish oil/d; or 1 g sunflower oil/d for 12 wk. Blood was drawn every 2 wk, and the total phospholipid fatty acid composition of red blood cells was determined.
RESULTS: As expected, fish oil produced a rapid increase in erythrocyte DHA and total n-3 fatty acids. The consumption of either 2.4 or 3.6 g flax oil/d (in capsules) was sufficient to significantly increase erythrocyte total phospholipid ALA, EPA, and docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n-3) fatty acid content. There were no differences among groups in plasma inflammatory markers or lipid profile.
CONCLUSIONS: The consumption of ALA-enriched supplements for 12 wk was sufficient to elevate erythrocyte EPA and docosapentaenoic acid content, which shows the effectiveness of ALA conversion and accretion into erythrocytes. The amounts of ALA required to obtain these effects are amounts that are easily achieved in the general population by dietary modification.
Flaxseed oil (ALA) prevents trans-10, cis-12-conjugated linoleic acid-induced insulin resistance in mice.
Kelley DS, Vemuri M, Adkins Y, Gill SH, Fedor D, Mackey BE. Br J Nutr. 2008 Aug 19:1-8.
Western Human Nutrition Research Center, ARS, USDA, and Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, 430 West Health Sciences Drive, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Insulin resistance (IR) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are found in 35 and 30 % of US adults, respectively. Trans-10, cis-12-conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been found to cause both these disorders in several animal models. We hypothesised that IR and NAFLD caused by CLA result from n-3 fatty acid deficiency. Pathogen-free C57BL/6N female mice (aged 8 weeks; n 10) were fed either a control diet or diets containing trans-10, cis-12-CLA (0.5 %) or CLA+flaxseed oil (FSO) (0.5 %+0.5 %) for 8 weeks. Weights of livers, concentration of circulating insulin, values of homeostatic model 1 (HOMA1) for IR and HOMA1 for beta cell function were higher by 160, 636, 985 and 968 % in the CLA group compared with those in the control group. FSO decreased fasting glucose by 20 % and liver weights by 37 % compared with those in the CLA group; it maintained circulating insulin, HOMA1-IR and HOMA1 for beta cell function at levels found in the control group. CLA supplementation decreased n-6 and n-3 wt% concentrations of liver lipids by 57 and 73 % and increased the n-6:n-3 ratio by 58 % compared with corresponding values in the control group. FSO increased n-6 and n-3 PUFA in liver lipids by 33 and 342 % and decreased the n-6:n-3 ratio by 70 % compared with corresponding values in the CLA group. The present results suggest that some adverse effects of CLA may be due to n-3 PUFA deficiency and that these can be corrected by a concomitant increase in the intake of alpha-linolenic acid, 18 : 3n-3.
Studie1