18 Jan Study Identifies Differences in Omega-6 vs Omega-3 in Brain Development
Dr. Noriko Osumi
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MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Noriko Osumi, DDS, PhD
Director, Center for Neuroscience
Professor, Department of Developmental Neuroscience
Tohoku University School of Medicine
Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai Japan
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Osumi: Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are known to be important for brain growth.
This is mainly because many researchers have shown that imbalance between these fatty acids during pregnancy causes several defects in future brain functions both in humans and rodents.
Therefore, we asked the underlying mechanism how maternal intake of the omega-6 excess/omega-3 deficient dietary impairs brain development in mice using genetical rescue and comprehensive lipidomics together with neural stem cell biology.
We have shown how these fatty acids affect brain growth, and revealed its molecular and cellular mechanisms.
In particular, the reduced thickness of the cortex is due to precocious gliogenesis following neurogenesis, which may include epoxide metabolites of omega-6 fatty acids.
Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Osumi: Our research used mice and excess omega-6 fatty acid in the diet was an exaggerated case.
Moreover, there may be a possibility that metabolic conditions are different in human beings. However, we cannot ethically intervene human beings in the same condition.
Thus, taking home message is not to take too much seed oils containing omega-6 fatty acids but to eat more fish rich in omega-3.
Bad guy is not just cholesterol.
Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. Osumi: Lipidomics in neurobiology is rather slow compared with other medical research such as cardiology and oncology.
We need to proceed with more comprehensive studies identifying key metabolites for brain development in various aspects not only neurogenesis but also circuit formation and myelination.
Medical Research: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Dr. Osumi: We should not neglect paternal effects on offspring; there is less study focusing on how paternal diet affect offspring’s health conditions.
Such a direction will open a new avenue for DOHaD (developmental origin of health and disease) hypothesis.
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More on Lipids on MedicalResearch.com
Noriko Osumi, DDS, PhD (2016). Study Identifies Differences in Omega-6 vs Omega-3 in Brain Development
Last Updated on January 18, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD