News tagged with polyunsaturated fatty acids
Higher mercury levels in humans associated with increased risk for diabetes
A new study found that higher levels of mercury exposure in young adults increased their risks for type 2 diabetes later in life by 65 percent. The study, led by Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington epidemiologist ...
Diabetes
Apr 08, 2013 |
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Fatty acids could lead to flu drug
Flu viruses are a major cause of death and sickness around the world, and antiviral drugs currently do not protect the most seriously ill patients. A study published March 7th by Cell Press in the journal Cell reveals that a ...
Medical research
Mar 07, 2013 |
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Study raises questions about dietary fats and heart disease guidance
Dietary advice about fats and the risk of heart disease is called into question in BMJ today as a clinical trial shows that replacing saturated animal fats with omega-6 polyunsaturated vegetable fats is linked to an increa ...
Cardiology
Feb 05, 2013 |
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Limiting polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in pregnancy may influence body fat of children, researchers find
(Medical Xpress)—Southampton researchers have demonstrated that mothers who have higher levels of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are found in cooking oils and nuts, during pregnancy have ...
Health
Jan 10, 2013 |
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Prenatal exposure to fish beneficial to child development: New study adds to evidence that 'good' outweighs the 'bad'
(Medical Xpress)—A study published recently in the Journal of Nutrition adds to the growing scientific evidence that when expecting mothers eat fish often, they are giving their future children a boost ...
Health
Jan 04, 2013 |
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New study reveals that every single junk food meal damages your arteries
A single junk food meal – composed mainly of saturated fat – is detrimental to the health of the arteries, while no damage occurs after consuming a Mediterranean meal rich in good fats such as mono-and polyunsaturated ...
Health
Oct 30, 2012 |
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Omega-3 supplements may slow a biological effect of aging, study says
(Medical Xpress)—Taking enough omega-3 fatty acid supplements to change the balance of oils in the diet could slow a key biological process linked to aging, new research suggests.
Health
Oct 01, 2012 |
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A mother's nutrition—before pregnancy—may alter the function of her children's genes
Everyone knows that what mom eats when pregnant makes a huge difference in the health of her child. Now, new research in mice suggests that what she ate before pregnancy might be important too. According to a new research ...
Genetics
Sep 20, 2012 |
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Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation not associated with lower risk of major CVD events
In a study that included nearly 70,000 patients, supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was not associated with a lower risk of all-cause death, cardiac death, sudden death, heart attack, or stroke, according ...
Cardiology
Sep 11, 2012 |
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Omega-3 lowers inflammation in overweight older adults
New research shows that omega-3 fatty acid supplements can lower inflammation in healthy, but overweight, middle-aged and older adults, suggesting that regular use of these supplements could help protect against and treat ...
Inflammatory disorders
Jun 20, 2012 |
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Genetic adaptation of fat metabolism key to development of human brain
About 300 000 years ago humans adapted genetically to be able to produce larger amounts of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. This adaptation may have been crucial to the development of the unique brain capacity in modern humans. ...
Genetics
Apr 12, 2012 |
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Fatty acid test: Why some harm health, but others help
A major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and other health- and life-threatening conditions, obesity is epidemic in the United States and other developed nations where it's fueled in large part by excessive ...
Medical research
Sep 29, 2011 |
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Mother's diet influences baby's allergies -- new research
A possible link between what a mother eats during pregnancy and the risk of her child developing allergies has been identified in new research published in this month's The Journal of Physiology.
Health
Sep 09, 2011 |
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Omega-3 reduces anxiety and inflammation in healthy students
A new study gauging the impact of consuming more fish oil showed a marked reduction both in inflammation and, surprisingly, in anxiety among a cohort of healthy young people.
Health
Jul 13, 2011 |
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Intake of the right fatty acids can help to prevent heart attacks
There is much confusion at present about the importance of fatty acids in preventing heart attacks. Recent studies have questioned the need to reduce the intake of saturated fatty acids in the diet and to increase that of ...
Health
Jun 30, 2011 |
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Polyunsaturated fat
In nutrition, polyunsaturated fat is an abbreviation of polyunsaturated fatty acid. That is a fatty acid in which more than one double bond exists within the representative molecule. That is, the molecule has two or more points on its structure capable of supporting hydrogen atoms not currently part of the structure. Polyunsaturated fatty acids can assume a cis or trans conformation depending on the geometry of the double bond.
The lack of the extra hydrogen atoms on the molecule's surface typically reduces the strength of the compound's intermolecular forces, thus causing the melting point of the compound to be significantly lower. This property can be observed by comparing predominately unsaturated vegetable oils, which remain liquid even at relatively low temperatures, to much more saturated fats such as butter or lard which are mainly solid at room temperature. Trans fats are more similar to saturated fat than are cis fats in many respects, including the fact that they solidify at a lower temperature.
A fatty acid has a carboxylic acid at one end and a methyl group at the other end. Carbon atoms in a fatty acid are identified by Greek letters on the basis of their distance from the carboxylic acid. The carbon atom closest to the carboxylic acid is the alpha carbon, the next adjacent carbon is the beta carbon, etc. In a long-chain fatty acid the carbon atom in the methyl group is called the omega carbon because omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet.
Omega-3 fatty acids have a double bond three carbons away from the methyl carbon, whereas omega-6 fatty acids have a double bond six carbons away from the methyl carbon. The illustration below shows the omega-6 fatty acid, linoleic acid.
For more information about Polyunsaturated fat, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
