Eating fatty foods can help boost memory, a US study suggests.
A team at the University of California, Irvine discovered oleic acids from fats are converted into a memory-enhancing agent in the gut.
They hope their work, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could offer a new way to treat memory-related problems.
Drugs to mimic the action of the compound are in trials for controlling the dangerous fat triglyceride.
Evidence shows high levels of oleoylethanolamide or OEA can reduce appetite, produce weight loss and lower blood cholesterol as well as triglyceride levels, making it an attractive candidate as a diet pill too.
Memory maker
Dr Daniele Piomelli and his team discovered that OEA also causes memories to be laid down by activating memory-enhancing signals in the amygdala - the part of the brain involved with memories of emotional events.
When they gave OEA to rats, it improved their memory retention in two different tests - running in a maze and avoiding an unpleasant experience.
And when they blocked OEA with a drug, their performance on the tasks declined.
Better understanding of how memories are formed could lead to new treatments that help the brain when it becomes affected by Alzheimer's
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust
Dr Piomelli said there was an evolutionary explanation for this role of OEA.
He said: "By helping mammals remember where and when they have eaten a fatty meal, OEA's memory-enhancing activity seems to have been an important evolutionary tool for early humans and other animals.
"Remembering the location and context of a fatty meal was probably an important survival mechanism for early humans."
But he said this might not always be helpful. While OEA contributes to feelings of fullness after a meal, it could also engender long-term cravings for fatty foods that, when eaten in excess, can cause obesity.
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said: "This is fascinating research and advances our understanding of the impact that diet can have on brain activity.
"When thinking about what constitutes a healthy diet, usually what's good for the heart is also good for the head.
"While this research suggests that fatty foods could help in the formation of longer term memories, a healthy balanced diet is still the best advice for reducing the risk of developing dementia.
"Better understanding of how memories are formed could lead to new treatments that help the brain when it becomes affected by Alzheimer's."
Professor Harald Hansen, of The Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, in Copenhagen, has been studying OEA's anti-obesity properties.
He said: "Clariyfing the role of OEA in human food consumption will add to our understanding of the development of the obesity epidemic. Such knowledge may possibly also help us develop drug candidates for treating morbid obesity."
But he pointed out that OEA was not commercial available for human consumption and it has not yet been documented that it will have the same effects in humans as is seen in rats.
1 May 2009
Is Omega-6 More Important Than Omega-3?
New York, Jan 27 - Americans should not reduce their consumption of omega-6 fatty acids, and might even benefit from eating a little more, according to the American Heart Association.
Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are "essential fats" that the body can't produce and must obtain from food. These fatty acids play a very important role in heart and brain function, along with normal growth and development.
Most omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the diet come from linoleic acid, found in vegetable oils such as corn oil, Dr. William S. Harris of the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion and his colleagues explain in their report, published in the journal Circulation. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish such as tuna, salmon and mackerel and flax seed.
Omega-6 Fatty Acids may Lower Heart Disease Risk - AHA
Source: Reuters
27/01/2009
Email This Article To A Colleague Print A Copy Of This Page
New York, Jan 27 - Americans should not reduce their consumption of omega-6 fatty acids, and might even benefit from eating a little more, according to the American Heart Association.
Daily News Alerts
- We respect your privacy -
Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are "essential fats" that the body can't produce and must obtain from food. These fatty acids play a very important role in heart and brain function, along with normal growth and development.
Most omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the diet come from linoleic acid, found in vegetable oils such as corn oil, Dr. William S. Harris of the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion and his colleagues explain in their report, published in the journal Circulation. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish such as tuna, salmon and mackerel and flax seed.
There are no firm recommendations on how much omega-6 PUFAs people need, Harris and his team add, but at present U.S. adults consume about 15 grams per day of linoleic acid, or 6.7 percent of their total calorie intake. According to the Institute of Medicine, 17 grams per day and 12 grams a day are adequate for men and women, respectively, representing 5 percent to 6 percent of total calories.
Questions have been raised about whether omega-6 PUFAs might harm the heart by promoting inflammation, because these fatty acids are the building blocks of several types of inflammatory molecules, the researchers note. But most scientific evidence suggests omega-6 fatty acids actually reduce inflammation, they add, and the nutrients also have "well-documented" effects in lowering cholesterol levels.
Clinical trials in humans also suggest that replacing calories from saturated fats or refined carbohydrates with omega-6 fatty acids also reduce heart disease risk, Harris and his colleagues say.
While some investigators have suggested reducing the ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids by eating less omega-6 could be beneficial, the researchers argue that focusing on this ratio has "conceptual and biological limitations," especially if it leads to people cutting their consumption of omega-6 fatty acids rather than increasing their omega-3 intake.
Based on their review of evidence from studies in humans and animals, the researchers conclude that getting up to 10 percent of one's calories from omega-6 fatty acids is safe and reduces heart disease risk compared with lower intakes.
"In summary, the AHA supports an omega-6 PUFA intake of at least 5 percent to 10 percent of energy in the context of other AHA lifestyle and dietary recommendations," they write. "To reduce omega-6 PUFA intakes from their current levels would be more likely to increase than to decrease risk for coronary heart disease."
Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are "essential fats" that the body can't produce and must obtain from food. These fatty acids play a very important role in heart and brain function, along with normal growth and development.
Most omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the diet come from linoleic acid, found in vegetable oils such as corn oil, Dr. William S. Harris of the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion and his colleagues explain in their report, published in the journal Circulation. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish such as tuna, salmon and mackerel and flax seed.
Omega-6 Fatty Acids may Lower Heart Disease Risk - AHA
Source: Reuters
27/01/2009
Email This Article To A Colleague Print A Copy Of This Page
New York, Jan 27 - Americans should not reduce their consumption of omega-6 fatty acids, and might even benefit from eating a little more, according to the American Heart Association.
Daily News Alerts
- We respect your privacy -
Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are "essential fats" that the body can't produce and must obtain from food. These fatty acids play a very important role in heart and brain function, along with normal growth and development.
Most omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the diet come from linoleic acid, found in vegetable oils such as corn oil, Dr. William S. Harris of the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion and his colleagues explain in their report, published in the journal Circulation. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish such as tuna, salmon and mackerel and flax seed.
There are no firm recommendations on how much omega-6 PUFAs people need, Harris and his team add, but at present U.S. adults consume about 15 grams per day of linoleic acid, or 6.7 percent of their total calorie intake. According to the Institute of Medicine, 17 grams per day and 12 grams a day are adequate for men and women, respectively, representing 5 percent to 6 percent of total calories.
Questions have been raised about whether omega-6 PUFAs might harm the heart by promoting inflammation, because these fatty acids are the building blocks of several types of inflammatory molecules, the researchers note. But most scientific evidence suggests omega-6 fatty acids actually reduce inflammation, they add, and the nutrients also have "well-documented" effects in lowering cholesterol levels.
Clinical trials in humans also suggest that replacing calories from saturated fats or refined carbohydrates with omega-6 fatty acids also reduce heart disease risk, Harris and his colleagues say.
While some investigators have suggested reducing the ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids by eating less omega-6 could be beneficial, the researchers argue that focusing on this ratio has "conceptual and biological limitations," especially if it leads to people cutting their consumption of omega-6 fatty acids rather than increasing their omega-3 intake.
Based on their review of evidence from studies in humans and animals, the researchers conclude that getting up to 10 percent of one's calories from omega-6 fatty acids is safe and reduces heart disease risk compared with lower intakes.
"In summary, the AHA supports an omega-6 PUFA intake of at least 5 percent to 10 percent of energy in the context of other AHA lifestyle and dietary recommendations," they write. "To reduce omega-6 PUFA intakes from their current levels would be more likely to increase than to decrease risk for coronary heart disease."
Shocking Update -- Sunshine Can Actually Decrease Your Vitamin D Levels
As you no doubt know, exposure to sunlight causes vitamin D to be produced in your skin. But it is only a portion of the solar spectrum known as UVB that has this effect. Other parts of the solar spectrum can have very different results.
Malignant melanoma has been increasing at an exponential rate in indoor workers since before 1940. The reason may be indoor exposure to UVA radiation. Unlike UVB, which is blocked by glass, UVA can pass through windows.
UVA can cause cancerous mutations, and can also break down vitamin D formed after outdoor UVB exposure. And vitamin D is a potent defense against melanoma -- melanoma cells convert it to calcitriol, which causes growth inhibition and apoptotic cell death in vitro and in vivo. New research shows that increased UVA exposures and inadequately maintained cutaneous levels of vitamin D promote melanoma.
Malignant melanoma has been increasing at an exponential rate in indoor workers since before 1940. The reason may be indoor exposure to UVA radiation. Unlike UVB, which is blocked by glass, UVA can pass through windows.
UVA can cause cancerous mutations, and can also break down vitamin D formed after outdoor UVB exposure. And vitamin D is a potent defense against melanoma -- melanoma cells convert it to calcitriol, which causes growth inhibition and apoptotic cell death in vitro and in vivo. New research shows that increased UVA exposures and inadequately maintained cutaneous levels of vitamin D promote melanoma.
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