Abstract 1098 Different Dietary Sources of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Altered Brain Gene Expression in Young Female Rats

The Western diet is low in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs). Increasing intake of n-3 PUFAs, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and particularly, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), has been suggested to promote brain development and function. However, dietary supplements differ in their EPA:DHA ratio, n-3 PUFA type and form. Therefore, the study objective was to determine gene expression changes in the brain of animals fed different sources of n-3 PUFAs for 8 weeks. Young (aged 21 days) female Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned (n=6/group) to be fed salmon oil (SO, 5:1 EPA:DHA), tuna oil (TO, 2:1 EPA:DHA), menhaden oil (MO, 3:1 EPA:DHA), krill oil (KO, 3:1 EPA:DHA in phospholipid form), flaxseed oil (FLO, alpha-linolenic acid), or corn oil (CO, control).