The Role of Fatty Acids in Neurodevelopment

Source: Nestlé Purina Pet Institute Research Report

Both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are important in perinatal development. Neural tissues in the brain and retina contain high concentrations of the omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid (AA; C20:4 n-6), and the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6 n-3). During the last trimester of gestation, these fatty acids accumulate in neural tissue at a rate 10 times faster than their precursor fatty acids, linoleic acid (LA; C18:2 n-6) and alpha linolenic acid (ALA; C18:3 n-3), respectively. Prenatal DHA and AA are critical for normal neurodevelopment: Reduced DHA in these tissues can result in decreased visual and psychomotor development.

Prenatal and nursing puppies derive their fatty acids from their dam, while the dam receives her fatty acids from the diet. Some amount of conversion from precursor fatty acids occurs in the mature canine; however, recent research indicates that milk DHA does not respond to increasing the 18-carbon precursor, ALA. Even a massive amount (6.8% of the diet) of the omega-3 ALA had no impact on milk DHA. Thus, dietary ALA supplementation is an ineffective means of increasing canine milk DHA, or supplying prenatal puppies with DHA. Even in puppies, which can convert ALA to DHA, ALA was far less efficient as a source of DHA:
Provision of only 0.55% preformed DHA in the diet resulted in the same concentration of DHA in the plasma of puppies as that resulting from 6.82% ALA.

Full Article »

Foward to an Associate