ABSTRACT
The effects of the administration of γ-linolenic acid (GLA) or higher unsaturated n-3 fatty acids (n-3 HUFAs) on the fatty acid composition of serum phospholipids (PL) of humans are well documented (1,2) (HUFAs are fatty acids with a chain length of at least 20 carbon atoms and having at least 3 double bonds). The effects of supplementing the diet with n-3 and n-6 fatty acids simultaneously have been studied in animals (3,4). In humans, they are less well documented. Vegetarians (5) and patients on diets low in preformed arachidonic acid (AA; 20:4n-6) (6) have lower levels of AA in their PL than do controls, and feeding meals with preformed AA and n-3 HUFAs increases these fatty acids (7). Increasing n-6 fatty acids in a diet with n-3 fatty acids has a mitigating effect on the increase of n-3 fatty acids in PL (8). The aim of this study was to document the effects of supplementing healthy individuals with a mixture containing GLA in combination with n-3 HUFA, on the fatty acid and HUFA composition of serum PL.
