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Annals of the New York Academy of... Mar 2019Fatty acids (FAs) are potent organic compounds that not only can be used as an energy source during nutrient deprivation but are also involved in several essential... (Review)
Review
Fatty acids (FAs) are potent organic compounds that not only can be used as an energy source during nutrient deprivation but are also involved in several essential signaling cascades in cells. Therefore, a balanced intake of different dietary FAs is critical for the maintenance of cellular functions and tissue homeostasis. A diet with an imbalanced fat composition creates a risk for developing metabolic syndrome and various musculoskeletal diseases, including osteoarthritis (OA). In this review, we summarize the current state of knowledge and mechanistic insights regarding the role of dietary FAs, such as saturated FAs, omega-6 polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs), and omega-3 PUFAs on joint inflammation and OA pathogeneses. In particular, we review how different types of dietary FAs and their derivatives distinctly affect a variety of cells within the joint, including chondrocytes, osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and synoviocytes. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of FAs on metabolic behavior, anabolic, and catabolic processes, as well as the inflammatory response of joint cells, may help identify therapeutic targets for the prevention of metabolic joint diseases.
Topics: Chondrocytes; Connective Tissue; Dietary Fats; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; Humans; Joint Diseases; Joints; Metabolic Diseases; Osteoblasts; Osteoclasts; Signal Transduction; Synoviocytes
PubMed: 30648276
DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13999 -
Nutrients Dec 2021Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in preterm infants. The pathogenesis of NEC is not completely understood; however,... (Review)
Review
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in preterm infants. The pathogenesis of NEC is not completely understood; however, intestinal immaturity and excessive immunoreactivity of intestinal mucosa to intraluminal microbes and nutrients appear to have critical roles. Dietary fats are not only the main source of energy for preterm infants, but also exert potent effects on intestinal development, intestinal microbial colonization, immune function, and inflammatory response. Preterm infants have a relatively low capacity to digest and absorb triglyceride fat. Fat may thereby accumulate in the ileum and contribute to the development of NEC by inducing oxidative stress and inflammation. Some fat components, such as long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), also exert immunomodulatory roles during the early postnatal period when the immune system is rapidly developing. LC-PUFAs may have the ability to modulate the inflammatory process of NEC, particularly when the balance between n3 and n6 LC-PUFAs derivatives is maintained. Supplementation with n3 LC-PUFAs alone may have limited effect on NEC prevention. In this review, we describe how various fatty acids play different roles in the pathogenesis of NEC in preterm infants.
Topics: Dietary Fats; Digestion; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing; Fatty Acids; Humans; Infant Formula; Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Inflammation; Milk, Human; Oxidative Stress
PubMed: 35011027
DOI: 10.3390/nu14010145 -
International Journal For Vitamin and... Jun 2023During the last 100 years official dietary guidelines have recommended an increased consumption of fats derived from seeds while decreasing the consumption of... (Review)
Review
During the last 100 years official dietary guidelines have recommended an increased consumption of fats derived from seeds while decreasing the consumption of traditional fats, especially saturated fats. These recommendations are being challenged by recent studies. Furthermore, the increased use of refining processes in fat production had deleterious health effects. Today, the number of high-quality studies on fatty acids is large enough to make useful recommendations on clinical application and everyday practice. Saturated fats have many beneficial functions and palmitic acid appears to be problematic only when it is synthesized due to excess fructose consumption. Trans fatty acids were shown to be harmful when they are manmade but beneficial when of natural origin. Conjugated linoleic acid has many benefits but the isomer mix that is available in supplement form differs from its natural origin and may better be avoided. The ω3 fatty acid linolenic acid has rather limited use as an anti-inflammatory agent - a fact that is frequently overlooked. On the other hand, the targeted use of long chain ω3 fatty acids based on blood analysis has great potential to supplement or even be an alternative to various pharmacological therapies. At the same time ω6 fatty acids like linoleic acid and arachidonic acid have important physiological functions and should not be avoided but their consumption needs to be balanced with long chain ω3 fatty acids. The quality and quantity of these fats together with appropriate antioxidative protection are critical for their positive health effects.
Topics: Fatty Acids; Fatty Acids, Omega-3; Dietary Supplements; Dietary Fats
PubMed: 34041926
DOI: 10.1024/0300-9831/a000713 -
Nutrition Journal Aug 2017Consumers are often confused about nutrition research findings and recommendations. As content experts, it is essential that nutrition scientists communicate... (Review)
Review
Consumers are often confused about nutrition research findings and recommendations. As content experts, it is essential that nutrition scientists communicate effectively. A case-study of the history of dietary fat science and recommendations is presented, summarizing presentations from an Experimental Biology Symposium that addressed techniques for effective scientific communication and used the scientific discourse of public understanding of dietary fats and health as an example of challenges in scientific communication. Decades of dietary recommendations have focused on balancing calorie intake and energy expenditure and decreasing fat. Reducing saturated fat has been a cornerstone of dietary recommendations for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction. However, evidence from observational studies and randomized clinical trials demonstrates that replacing saturated fat with carbohydrates, specifically refined, has no benefit on CVD risk, while substituting polyunsaturated fats for either saturated fat or carbohydrate reduces risk. A significant body of research supports the unique health benefits of dietary patterns and foods that contain plant and marine sources of unsaturated fats. Yet, after decades of focus on low-fat diets, many consumers, food manufacturers, and restauranteurs remain confused about the role of dietary fats on disease risk and sources of healthy fats. Shifting dietary recommendations to focus on food-based dietary patterns would facilitate translation to the public and potentially remedy widespread misperceptions about what constitutes a healthful dietary pattern.
Topics: Cardiovascular Diseases; Consumer Behavior; Diet, Healthy; Dietary Carbohydrates; Dietary Fats; Dietary Fats, Unsaturated; Energy Intake; Energy Metabolism; Humans; Nutrition Policy; Nutritional Sciences; Risk Factors
PubMed: 28854932
DOI: 10.1186/s12937-017-0271-4 -
Nutrients Oct 2017Chronic inflammation is a common underlying factor in many major metabolic diseases afflicting Western societies. Sphingolipid metabolism is pivotal in the regulation of... (Review)
Review
Chronic inflammation is a common underlying factor in many major metabolic diseases afflicting Western societies. Sphingolipid metabolism is pivotal in the regulation of inflammatory signaling pathways. The regulation of sphingolipid metabolism is in turn influenced by inflammatory pathways. In this review, we provide an overview of sphingolipid metabolism in mammalian cells, including a description of sphingolipid structure, biosynthesis, turnover, and role in inflammatory signaling. Sphingolipid metabolites play distinct and complex roles in inflammatory signaling and will be discussed. We also review studies examining dietary sphingolipids and inflammation, derived from in vitro and rodent models, as well as human clinical trials. Dietary sphingolipids appear to influence inflammation-related chronic diseases through inhibiting intestinal lipid absorption, altering gut microbiota, activation of anti-inflammatory nuclear receptors, and neutralizing responses to inflammatory stimuli. The anti-inflammatory effects observed with consuming dietary sphingolipids are in contrast to the observation that most cellular sphingolipids play roles in augmenting inflammatory signaling. The relationship between dietary sphingolipids and low-grade chronic inflammation in metabolic disorders is complex and appears to depend on sphingolipid structure, digestion, and metabolic state of the organism. Further research is necessary to confirm the reported anti-inflammatory effects of dietary sphingolipids and delineate their impacts on endogenous sphingolipid metabolism.
Topics: Animals; Chronic Disease; Dietary Fats; Disease Models, Animal; Energy Metabolism; Humans; Inflammation; Inflammation Mediators; Risk Factors; Signal Transduction; Sphingolipids
PubMed: 29143791
DOI: 10.3390/nu9111180 -
Advances in Nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) May 2018The Mediterranean diet pattern is increasingly associated with improved metabolic health. Two mechanisms by which consuming a Mediterranean diet pattern may contribute... (Review)
Review
The Mediterranean diet pattern is increasingly associated with improved metabolic health. Two mechanisms by which consuming a Mediterranean diet pattern may contribute to improved metabolic health are modulation of the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota and reduction of metabolic endotoxemia. Metabolic endotoxemia, defined as a 2- to 3-fold increase in circulating levels of bacterial endotoxin, has been proposed as a cause of inflammation during metabolic dysfunction. As the largest source of endotoxins in the human body, the GI microbiota represents a crucial area for research on strategies for reducing endotoxemia. Diets high in saturated fat and low in fiber contribute to metabolic endotoxemia through several mechanisms, including changes in the GI microbiome and bacterial fermentation end products, intestinal physiology and barrier function, and enterohepatic circulation of bile acids. Thus, the Mediterranean diet pattern, rich in unsaturated fats and fiber, may be one dietary strategy to reduce metabolic endotoxemia. Preclinical studies have demonstrated the differential effects of dietary saturated and unsaturated fats on the microbiota and metabolic health, but human studies are lacking. The role of dietary fiber and the GI microbiome in metabolic endotoxemia is underinvestigated. Clinical research on the effects of different types of dietary fat and fiber on the GI microbiota and GI and systemic inflammation is necessary to determine efficacious dietary strategies for reducing metabolic endotoxemia, inflammation, and subsequent metabolic disease.
Topics: Diet, High-Fat; Diet, Mediterranean; Dietary Fats; Dietary Fiber; Dysbiosis; Endotoxemia; Endotoxins; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Feeding Behavior; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Inflammation; Intestinal Mucosa
PubMed: 29767701
DOI: 10.1093/advances/nmy013 -
Nutrients Aug 2022Previous studies have shown distinct associations between specific dietary fats and mortality. However, evidence on specific dietary fats and mortality among patients...
Previous studies have shown distinct associations between specific dietary fats and mortality. However, evidence on specific dietary fats and mortality among patients with cardiometabolic disease (CMD) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to estimate the association between consumption of specific fatty acids and survival of patients with CMD and examine whether cardiometabolic biomarkers can mediate the above effects. The study included 8537 participants with CMD, from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) and NHANES 1999-2014. Cox proportional hazards regression, restricted cubic spline regression, and isocaloric substitution models were used to estimate the associations of dietary fats with all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality among participants with CMD. Mediation analysis was performed to assess the potential mediating roles of cardiometabolic biomarkers. During a median follow-up of 10.3 years (0-27.1 years), 3506 all-cause deaths and 882 CVD deaths occurred. The hazard ratios (HRs) of all-cause mortality among patients with CMD were 0.85 (95% confidence interval (CI), 95% CI, 0.73-0.99; trend = 0.03) for ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-6 PUFA), 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75-1.00; trend = 0.05) for linoleic acid (LA), and 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75-0.98; trend = 0.03) for docosapentaenoic acid (DPA). Isocalorically replacing energy from SFA with PUFA and LA were associated with 8% and 4% lower all-cause mortality respectively. The HRs of CVD mortality among CMD patients comparing extreme tertiles of specific dietary fats were 0.60 (95% CI, 0.48-0.75; trend = 0.002) for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and 0.64 (95% CI, 0.48-0.85; trend = 0.002) for DPA and above effects were mediated by levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL). Restricted cubic splines showed significant negative nonlinear associations between above specific dietary fats and mortality. These results suggest that intakes of ω-6 PUFA, LA, and DPA or replacing SFA with PUFA or LA might be associated with lower all-cause mortality for patients with CMD. Consumption of EPA and DPA could potentially reduce cardiovascular death for patients with CMD, and their effects might be regulated by cardiometabolic biomarkers indirectly. More precise and representative studies are further needed to validate our findings.
Topics: Biomarkers; Cardiovascular Diseases; Dietary Fats; Eicosapentaenoic Acid; Fatty Acids, Omega-6; Humans; Linoleic Acid; Nutrition Surveys
PubMed: 36079863
DOI: 10.3390/nu14173608 -
Journal of Applied Microbiology Oct 2017Although fat content in usual ruminant diets is very low, fat supplements can be given to farm ruminants to modulate rumen activity or the fatty acid (FA) profile of... (Review)
Review
Although fat content in usual ruminant diets is very low, fat supplements can be given to farm ruminants to modulate rumen activity or the fatty acid (FA) profile of meat and milk. Unsaturated FAs, which are dominant in common fat sources for ruminants, have negative effects on microbial growth, especially protozoa and fibrolytic bacteria. In turn, the rumen microbiota detoxifies unsaturated FAs (UFAs) through a biohydrogenation (BH) process, transforming dietary UFAs with cis geometrical double-bonds into mainly trans UFAs and, finally, into saturated FAs. Culture studies have provided a large amount of data regarding bacterial species and strains that are affected by UFAs or involved in lipolysis or BH, with a major focus on the Butyrivibrio genus. More recent data using molecular approaches to rumen microbiota extend and challenge these data, but further research will be necessary to improve our understanding of fat and rumen microbiota interactions.
Topics: Animal Feed; Animals; Dietary Fats; Fatty Acids; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Rumen; Ruminants
PubMed: 28557277
DOI: 10.1111/jam.13501 -
BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) Jun 2018Although difficulties in nutrition research and formulating guidelines fuel ongoing debate, the complexities of dietary fats and overall diet are becoming better... (Review)
Review
Although difficulties in nutrition research and formulating guidelines fuel ongoing debate, the complexities of dietary fats and overall diet are becoming better understood, argue
Topics: Cardiovascular Diseases; Consensus; Diet, Healthy; Dietary Fats; Dietary Fats, Unsaturated; Guidelines as Topic; Humans; Metabolic Diseases; Nutrition Policy; Nutrition Surveys; Primary Prevention; Risk Factors
PubMed: 29898882
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.k2139 -
Animal : An International Journal of... Mar 2013In 1991, the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy produced a report on the dietary reference values for food energy and nutrients for groups of people in the... (Review)
Review
In 1991, the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy produced a report on the dietary reference values for food energy and nutrients for groups of people in the United Kingdom. The resulting recommendations, which included specific limits for intakes of total, saturated, trans- and cis-polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have remained a cornerstone of public health policy ever since, and similar recommendations have been adopted by the World Health Organization. These recommendations were made largely on the basis of specific effects of these fatty acids on the risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). The intervening years have seen a plethora of human epidemiological and intervention trials to further elucidate the specific relationship between dietary fatty acid intake, plasma lipids and lipoproteins and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. A number of recent meta-analyses and systematic reviews have revisited the role of specific dietary fatty acid classes and CVD risk. In general, these continue to support a link between saturated fatty acids (SFA) and CVD morbidity/mortality. They also highlight the potent adverse effects of trans fatty acids derived from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. The most recent data suggest that replacing SFA with cis-PUFA (primarily linoleic acid) has the greatest impact on reducing CVD risk. Evidence of specific beneficial effects of n-3 PUFA is generally stronger for secondary, rather than primary, CVD risk, and it is restricted to very long chain fatty acids of marine origin as opposed to alpha-linolenic acid. Taken together, these data suggest that recent focus on dietary n-6-to-n-3 PUFA ratios may have been misguided, and that future strategies should focus on replacing dietary SFA with total PUFA, rather than concentrating on n-6 : n-3 PUFA ratio.
Topics: Animals; Cardiovascular Diseases; Dietary Fats; Fatty Acids; Food Analysis; Humans
PubMed: 23031737
DOI: 10.1017/S1751731111002023