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Updated: Jan 19, 2026

Dietary Supplementation of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: November 29, 2013
Long-chain Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Natural Ecosystems and the Human Diet: Assumptions and Challenges
Michail I Gladyshev1,2, Nadezhda N Sushchik3,4
1Institute of Biophysics of Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Akademgorodok, 50/50, Krasnoyarsk 660036, Russia. glad@ibp.ru.
Abstract:
Over the past three decades, studies of essential biomolecules, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids of the omega-3 family (LC-PUFAs), namely eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3, EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3, DHA), have made considerable progress, resulting in several important assumptions. However, new data, which continue to appear, challenge these assumptions. Based on the current literature, an attempt is made to reconsider the following assumptions: 1. There are algal classes of high and low nutritive quality. 2. EPA and DHA decrease with increasing eutrophication in aquatic ecosystems. 3. Animals need EPA and DHA. 4. Fish are the main food source of EPA and DHA for humans. 5. Culinary treatment decreases EPA and DHA in products. As demonstrated, some of the above assumptions need to be substantially specified and changed.
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