Deficiency and Excess of Omega 3 - Coursework Example

Nutrition Critically discuss the potential role of omega-3 fatty acids in neurodegenerative disorders. Human do not possess the ability of producing omega 3 fatty acids therefore these acids must be obtained through daily diet as their deficiency might lead to several incurable neurological diseases, mental retardation and blood thickening. These fatty acids are essential to prevent diseases such as cancer. They are recommended to be used during the chemotherapy to alter the growth rate of cancer cells. Fatty acids are essential for the normal brain functioning in a way that they provide energy substrates and different mechanism for integral membrane (Hooijmans CR et al., 2008). DHA i.e. docosahexaenoic acid is an important component of omega-3 which is fervently preserved and rigorously available in the photoreceptors and synaptic membranes of the nervous system. It plays a significant role in protecting the neurological cells, normal functioning of age, memory and vision (Nicolas G. Bazan et al., 2011). DHA is mainly present in the gray part of the brain particularly in the neuronal membranes (Yehuda S et al., 2008). Excessive consumption of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and DHA with long chain may lead to several neuropsychiatric disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Hyperactivity; which is also known as attention deficit, Depression, Alzheimer’s Disease, Schizophrenia, etc. The EPA and DHA are usually present in fish and fish oil to be consumed in the daily diet (Genevieve Young and Julie Conquer, 2005). They are found to be very advantageous in revealing the biophysical characteristics of neuronal membranes and manipulating the roles of ion channels and receptors hence they help in dealing with some of the psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases (Mazza M et al., 2007). The research conducted to analyze the effects of omega-3 reflects that the double-blind placebo trial influences the efficiency of DHA as they are found to be effective in diminishing the paclitaxel-associated neurotoxicity (Zohreh Ghoreishi et al., 2012). Omega-3 has great significance in developing and sustaining a normal mental health. Consumption of omega-3 PUFA has exceptional benefits and improvements on symptoms of depression, AD and cardiovascular diseases (Hansen S. N. et al., 2007) Brain requires sufficient supply of omega 3 PUFAs to perform its functions properly. This need is fulfilled by the blood circulation. Current studies reflects that the omega-3 and its different components play an important role in protecting the neurons and other neurological organs while maintaining good cognitive abilities with the increasing age (Zhang W et al., 2011). Despite of various benefits attached to omega 3 there are few disadvantages as well for instance, if omega3 is obtained through the consumption of fish and fish oils the poisonous chemicals in the fish will alter the overall benefits attributed to omega3. These poisonous chemicals might include methyl mercury which is highly toxic for the human brain. Basically the marine water fishes are more dangerous in terms of toxic chemicals and poor performance of omega 3 fatty acids. However on the part of fishes from the lakes more research is required as their toxicity is not yet clearly defined. The supplement intake of omega 3 imposes positive effects over red blood cells and white blood cells but the effects usually vary as per the cell type. White blood cells show some other biochemical changes as well with the consumption of fatty acids (Mary E. Turyk, et al., 2012). Neurodegenerative Disorders With the increase in age of human beings several neurodegenerative diseases occur. Many of them are associated with the childhood developmental deficiencies. Following are the common neurodegenerative diseases in relation to omega-3: Parkinson’s disease (PD) Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases which affects the body movements and balance, changes the motor control system due to the loss of certain neurons. DHA plays a vital role in this regard as it protects the degeneration of the neurons with the help of inflammatory indications (Cansev M et. al., 2008). In MPTP-induced Parkinsonism it increases the functioning and appearance of glial-derived neurotropic factor (GDNF) hence helping in curing the disease (Tanriover G, 2010). In PD, patients experience some resting tremors, muscular inflexibility, bradykinesia and gait disorder. In addition to these they also undergo the death of dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons which ultimately reduces the striatal dopamine in the brain. There is no completely treatment available for the PD however some symptomatic treatments are there to help deal with the patients (Lees A. J. et al., 2009). In the current studies the extraordinary effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) are identified. The results show that the use of n-3 PUFAs gradually increases DHA in the brain which is then proved to be beneficial in protecting the cells from the damaging effects of MPTP (Bousquet M. et al., 2008). The role of DHA here is closely associated with the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (Bousquet M. et al., 2009). PD is also associated with the failure in autonomic nervous system, mood fluctuations and inability to do tasks involving cognition (BOUSQUET, M et al., 2011). Alzheimer’s disease (AD) It is the most important and widely studied neurodegenerative disease which is greatly influenced by different factors including age, gender and the distinctive lifestyles of individuals (Mattson MP, 2004). People above the age of 65 are mostly affected by this disease as compared to those with below 65 years of age (Leifer BP, 2003). The disease has its roots in the hereditary imbalances, behavioral variance, nutritional and ecological factors. The symptoms include loss of cognitive functioning, lack of emotional control, poor learning ability and memorizing skills. These are collectively known as ‘dementia’ (Jalbert JJ, 2008). The disease actually develops due to the mutation in several genes including APP (Sando SB, 2008). The significant pathological characteristics of AD include formation of intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangle and amyloid plaque. Current researches indicate that these characteristics are preceded by oxidative stress and progressive inflammation (Cole GM et al., 2009). Cellular conduits concerned with the homeostasis and manipulation of fatty acids present in the brain are the most important players of oxidative stress fall occupied in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. The recent discoveries have shown great involvement of omega 3 fatty acids in the treatment of AD (Cunnane SC et al., 2009). Initially the toxic amyloid beta fragments are formed with the help of cellular transmembrane and APP i.e. amyloid precursor protein (Hardy J, 2006). When these beta fragments are discharged they form the dimeric and oligomeric aggregates which are soluble in nature. These aggregates are very harmful for the brain cells and slow down the synaptic functioning (Selkoe DJ, 2008). APP is usually formed by the combination of two membranes which are alpha and beta secretase and catalytic proteases. They form a cleavage which is then transformed in to peptide fragments tarnished from the central nervous system. In the case of AD a protease membrane namely gamma secretase smites APP inside the transmembrane part of protein. This smite in combination with other APP beta secretase becomes an important enzyme in the way of degeneration which discharges poisonous peptides in the shape of amino acids (40 to 42 fragments). The amyloid plaques are mainly made up of 42 fragments of amino acids out of which 40 fragments build up in the brain with in the tiny arterioles and capillaries which ultimately leads to high threats of cerebral hemorrhage and the destruction of nutrient replacement process hence giving rise to cerebral amyloid angiopathy. This also affects the overall process of transportation of PUFAs through the blood circulation (Willem M, et al., 2009). Schizophrenia It is another neurological disorder which has a very costly treatment. Therefore it is very important to introduce different treatment plans which are most effective and at the same time they are also helpful in supplementing the antipsychotic trials and decreased side effects EPA is found to be more effective in treating Schizophrenia (BOŠKOVIĆ, M. et al., 2008). Currently five placebo-controlled trials of EPA are undertaken out of which four have shown satisfactory results. Another research on the cross-national level shows that the intake of sugar or saturated fat is affiliated with the poorer long run result of schizophrenia. Since the higher level of sugar and fat decreases the appearance of brain in terms of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which is chiefly associated with the maintenance and development of dendrites however when BDNF level decreases it ultimately leads to the insulin confrontation which is a key symptom of schizophrenia which further directs to other metabolic syndromes. Hence it can be assumed that the factors involved in the metabolic syndrome such as increased saturated fat and decreased omega-3 PUFA might be damaging to the patients of schizophrenia because of a mutual mechanism of BDNF (PeeT M., 2004). The basic symptoms of schizophrenia involve lower level of omega-3 fatty acids which are associated with feeling of depression. EPA has distinctive characteristics such as anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective. This enables EPA to be used to deal with some of the neurodegenerative disorders. An experiment conducted to further confirm the abilities of EPA showed the results that it was more effective in improving depression as compared to the placebo-treated patients. Further extensive researches have revealed that the EPA is only capable of advancing motor functions (SONG C et al., 2007). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Significant evidences shows that brain undergoes the developmental procedures throughout the childhood (Toga A.W, 2006). In children the deficiency of PUFA may lead to future neurodegenerative disorders with roots in the childhood brain developmental stage. Early researchers have studied the relationship between different levels of omega-3 and its impact on the hyperactivity of children as compared to normally active children (Chen J.-R. et al., 2004). Research suggests that consumption of DHA in hyperactive children increases the level of red blood cells without making any significant impact over the symptoms of ADHD (Voigt R.G et al., 2001). Another experiment of the similar type was conducted in which DHA and EPA (fish oil) both were given to the children with obvious symptoms of ADHD to analyze the improvement ratio however, in this case as well there were no significant changes though it was a placebo-controlled trial done over the duration of two months (Hirayama S. et al., 2004). Omega-3 is usually absent in modern day children diet hence leading to ADHD but the recent research evidences shows that omega-3 LCPUFAs are helpful in dealing with behavioral and memorizing complexities among children. The results in different researches are associated to different locations and populations of the world however a generalized view can be extracted from them in order to relate the effects of similar symptoms. New researches are required as far as LCPUFAs is concerned because its metabolism is not yet completely disclosed and it is expected that it might have the ability of indentifying ADHD at the initial stage (GERMANO M et al., 2007). Conclusion Omega 3 fatty acids and its various components play a very crucial role in the human development and sustenance of healthy life. They are not reproduced within the body which emphasizes the need of their consumption from external sources as their deficiency may lead to several neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Schizophrenia, Attention deficit hyperactive disorder, etc. In addition to these the mental retardation, depression and blood thickening is also caused due to deficiency of Omega 3 fatty acids. They are very useful in suppressing the growth of cancerous cells and in providing sufficient energy substrates for the normal brain functioning. In Parkinson’s disease a component of Omega 3 i.e. DHA plays a significant role. It prevents the degeneration of neurons and enhances the performance of glial-derived neurotropic factor. Alzheimer’s disease mostly affects the people above 65 years of age. The disease is usually caused by the mutation of APP which is a component of Omega 3 fatty acids. EPA is found to be effective in treating Schizophrenia in which the patient faces severe depression and reduction in overall Omega 3 fatty acids. The neuroprotective characteristics of EPA help reduce the symptoms of the disease. The deficiency of PUFA in early childhood development might lead to future Attention deficit hyperactive disorder which is then cured by the varying actions of omega-3 LCPUFAs. Deficiency and excess of Omega 3 fatty acids are harmful for the standard brain functioning therefore it is necessary to maintain a balance in consuming these fatty acids. REFERENCES BOŠKOVIĆ, M., & VOVK, T. (2008). 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Zohreh Ghoreishi, Ali Esfahani, Abolghasem Djazayeri, Mahmoud Djalali,  Banafsheh Golestan, Hormoz Ayromlou,Shahriar Hashemzade, Mohammad Asghari Jafarabadi, Vahid Montazeri, Seyed Ali Keshavarz, and Masoud Darabi, 2012. ‘Omega-3 fatty acids are protective against paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy: A randomized double-blind placebo controlled trial’. Bio Med Center (BMC) Cancer. Read More