Analysis of the 2nd symposium « Anomalies of fatty acids, ageing and degenerating pathologies »
Reprod. Nutr. Dev.. 2004-05-01; 44(3): 263-271
DOI: 10.1051/rnd:2004031
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Guesnet P(1), Alessandri JM, Vancassel S, Zamaria N.
Author information:
(1)Neurobiology of Lipids, The Nutrition & Food Safety Laboratory, Institut
National de la Recherche Agronomique, CRJ, 78352 Jouy-en-Josas Cedex, France.
The second symposium on anomalies of fatty acids, ageing and degenerating
pathologies for the French-speaking community was held during January 2002 in
Paris (France) and reunited more than 200 participants, including a majority of
medical practitioners. It was organised around 8 conferences treating the
following subjects: a general presentation of the metabolism of fatty acids and
their biological functions (in particular polyunsaturated fatty acids or PUFA),
the exploration of PUFA in man during situations of nutritional and pathological
disequilibrium, and the importance of PUFA in the aetiology and prevention of
pathophysiologies such as cardiovascular, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases,
diabetes and obesity, cancer and certain neuropsychiatric affections such as
depression. Indeed, even though edible fatty acids present a common energetic
function, by beta-oxidation, and a structural function, as a constituent of
membrane lipids, some of them have a more specific role as an essential
nutrient. These are essential fatty acids including the two families of
polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6 and n-3 PUFA). Their metabolism leads to the
synthesis of derivatives found in cellular membranes (structural role) and
oxygenated molecules, the eicosanoids, whose main action is of the same type as
that of hormones. These derivatives and oxygenated molecules also regulate
different metabolic pathways by modulating the expression of target genes via
activation of specific transcription factors. Due to their quality and their
quantity in food, the PUFA may interfere with the incidence of a large number of
pathologies whose causes are varied (cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases,
cancers, neuropathologies, …). The particular interest in nutrition of PUFA of
the n-3 series (or omega3) and in particular of long-chain derivatives mainly
found in high quantity in fish oils (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic
acid) is now widely confirmed for cardiovascular and inflammatory physiology and
formed the subject of increasing investigations for prevention of certain
pathologies of the central nervous system. In this paper, we are first going to
recall the generalities of metabolism and functional properties of PUFA.
Secondly, we will list the pathologies whose frequency and symptoms are
susceptible to be corrected by the dietary intake of PUFA, notably by reaching
the nutritional equilibrium between the family of linoleic acid (n-6 or omega6)
and that of alpha-linolenic acid (n-3 or omega3).