E-PUFA Study (version 1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Epigenetic regulation of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid synthesis
IRAS ID
142255
Contact name
Charlene Sibbons
Contact email
Research summary
Long chain omega-3 fatty acids are believed to be beneficial to human health. They can be obtained by eating oily fish. Humans can also make their own long chain omega-3 fatty acids in the body from alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a fatty acid that can only be obtained from the diet, for example by eating vegetable oils. Since intake of oily fish is relatively low in the UK, this production of long chain omega-3 fatty acids from ALA could be important for meeting nutritional requirements. It has been found that increasing levels of long chain omega-3 fatty acids can help promote healthy ageing. However, there is limited information about our capacity to produce these fatty acids throughout our lives. It has been found that women have a greater ability to make long chain omega-3 fatty acids than men but we do not fully understand the biological mechanisms behind this. We want to find out if the capacity of men and women to make long chain omega-3 fatty acids changes with age. If it does then we want to find out how this happens. To do this we will be looking at a mechanism called epigenetic regulation. Proteins called enzymes are responsible for making long chain omega-3 fatty acids and epigenetic regulation is a process that can finely tune the amount of protein that is made by our genes.
This work is important as it could help us to understand how nutritional requirements for long chain omega-3 fatty acids may change for men and women throughout their lives. This work could also help us understand how the production of these important fatty acids in the body is regulated. In this study we will be measuring long chain omega-3 fatty acids in blood and in cheek (buccal) cells.REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NW/1048
Date of REC Opinion
24 Jun 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion