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Impact of Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Cognitive and Mental Development

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Omega-6/3 Fatty Acids

Part of the book series: Nutrition and Health ((NH))

Abstract

The fetal brain grows rapidly, especially from the beginning of the second half of pregnancy, and growth remains high during the first year of life. During this phase, a high quantity of fatty acids (FAs) is integrated into brain and neuronal tissues. FAs are major components of brain tissue accounting for more than 50% of the dry weight in an adult brain. The long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) of the omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) family, such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3) and arachidonic acid (AA; 20:4n-6), are the most important FAs for infant and childhood brain development.

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  1. Institute of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Leibniz University of Hannover, Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany

    Dr. Jan Philipp Schuchardt MSc

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Schuchardt, J.P., Hahn, A. (2013). Impact of Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Cognitive and Mental Development. In: De Meester, F., Watson, R., Zibadi, S. (eds) Omega-6/3 Fatty Acids. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-215-5_8

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