[Importance of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) in nutritional recovery]

Severe protein deprivation at weaning, may cause a stop in cellular proliferation and absolute number of T cells W3/13+ in the thymus of growing rats. The administration of a 20 g/100 casein recovery diet supplemented with 24 mg of n-3 PUFA during 9 days, counteracted this effect suggesting for these essential nutrients a dose-dependent response. No changes were observed in hemostastic factors such as protrombine time (QUICK) and partial active tromboplastine time (KPTT). Even though total plasma lipids showed no changes, the LDL-cholesterol fraction presented a low increment in agreement with international data. Daily administration of this supplemented diet did not show an increase in hepatic lipid peroxidation in the experimental group, suggesting that natural antioxidants and vitamin E provided by the diet might be playing a protective role.