Study probes potential health benefits of DHA.A natural compound in fish and meats improved two cardiovascular health indicators in six volunteers in a USDA/ARS nutrition study. ARS scientists (Western Human Nutrition Research Center, PO Box 29997, Presidio of San Francisco, CA 94129) found that these volunteers, who ate foods enriched with the omega-3 fatty acid omega-3 fatty acid n. Any of various polyunsaturated fatty acids that are found primarily in fish, fish oils, vegetable oils, and leafy green vegetables, and that seem to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack. DHA DHA docosahexaenoic acid. DHA, n.pr See acid, docosahexaenoic. (docosahexaenoic acid), showed an increase in HDL-cholesterol. HDL (Hardware Description Language) A language used to describe the functions of an electronic circuit for documentation, simulation or logic synthesis (or all three). Although many proprietary HDLs have been developed, Verilog and VHDL are the major standards. is the cholesterol known to protect against heart disease. Also in the study, triglycerides decreased by about 26%. The volunteers on the high-DHA regimen showed an increase of about 69% in apoprotein-E, a compound that carries cholesterol to the liver for breakdown and excretion. An apo-E increase had not been reported in other DHA studies in humans. The study is the longest DHA experiment yet reported with in-residence volunteers, we're told. Ten healthy, non-smoking men aged 20 to 39 lived at the research center for the four-month investigation. Scientists added about a teaspoon of DHA-rich oil to salad dressings or bean, salsa or guacamole dips served to six volunteers, substituting safflower oil Noun 1. safflower oil - oil from safflower seeds used as food as well as in medicines and paints Carthamus tinctorius, false saffron, safflower - thistlelike Eurasian plant widely grown for its red or orange flower heads and seeds that yield a valuable oil in the servings for the four other men. Investigators found that DHA generally duplicated the effects of another omega-3 fatty acid, EPA EPA eicosapentaenoic acid. EPA abbr. eicosapentaenoic acid EPA, n.pr See acid, eicosapentaenoic. EPA, n. (eicosapentaenoic acid). Both occur in fish oils thought to have cardiovascular benefits. On a related front, others have developed a whey-based microbial microbial pertaining to or emanating from a microbe. microbial digestion the breakdown of organic material, especially feedstuffs, by microbial organisms. route to production of an oil rich in EPA, a 20-carbon omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid Noun 1. polyunsaturated fatty acid - an unsaturated fatty acid whose carbon chain has more than one double or triple valence bond per molecule; found chiefly in fish and corn and soybean oil and safflower oil , along with arachidonic acid and other shorter-chain fatty acids. EPA will find several food uses, such as in infant and geriatric feeding formulas. In Europe, it is being considered for use in margarines and mayonnaise. The whey-based route offers certain advantages. Whey is an abundant source of material. Using whey, researchers have been able to achieve a high concentration of EPA, 25% in the oil, which is better than the 7% present in unconcentrated commercial fish oil. The process used consists of fermentation, filtration, co-current wet milling and solvent extraction. On the lab scale, scientists obtained a yield of 23 mg of EPA/gm of dry Pythium irregulare, along with 7 gm of dry P. irregulare/L of fermentor volume. Further information. Gary Nelson; phone: 415-556-0899; fax: 415-556-1432; email:gnelson@whnrc.usda.gov. |
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