Plasma Phospholipids, including Plasmalogens, after Consumption of Diets Enriched in Long-chain n-3 Fatty Acids

The level of long-chain n-3 fatty acids in chicken and pork can be increased by changing the diet of the animals. Increased levels of these essential fatty acids improve cardiovascular health in humans. The purpose of this study was to study the effects of the consumption of pork and chicken enriched in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on plasma lipids. The consumption of these products decreased the levels of two cardiovascular risk factors, LDL-cholesterol and triacylglycerols, in the plasma of female college students. The effect on LDL-cholesterol differed from that of fish oil, which does not affect the level of LDL-cholesterol. The proportions of DHA in the triacylglycerols and the glycerophospholipids were increased markedly. The greatest changes in the glycerophospholipids were in the ether types of the ethanolamine glycerophospholipids. Dietary DHA appears to be incorporated preferentially into the plasma ethanolamine plasmalogens, which can act as antioxidants. This agrees with our hypothesis that DHA stimulated the transcription of the genes for peroxisomal enzymes that are required for plasmalogen synthesis.