Omega-3 Fatty Acids from Fish Oil Lower Anxiety, Improve Cognitive Functions and Reduce Spontaneous Locomotor Activity in a Non-Human Primate

Omega-3 (ω3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are major components of brain cells membranes. ω3 PUFA-deficient rodents exhibit severe cognitive impairments (learning, memory) that have been linked to alteration of brain glucose utilization or to changes in neurotransmission processes. ω3 PUFA supplementation has been shown to lower anxiety and to improve several cognitive parameters in rodents, while very few data are available in primates. In humans, little is known about the association between anxiety and ω3 fatty acids supplementation and data are divergent about their impact on cognitive functions. Therefore, the development of nutritional studies in non-human primates is needed to disclose whether a long-term supplementation with long-chain ω3 PUFA has an impact on behavioural and cognitive parameters, differently or not from rodents. We address the hypothesis that ω3 PUFA supplementation could lower anxiety and improve cognitive performances of the Grey Mouse Lemur (Microcebus murinus), a nocturnal Malagasy prosimian primate. Adult male mouse lemurs were fed for 5 months on a control diet or on a diet supplemented with long-chain ω3 PUFA (n = 6 per group). Behavioural, cognitive and motor performances were measured using an open field test to evaluate anxiety, a circular platform test to evaluate reference spatial memory, a spontaneous locomotor activity monitoring and a sensory-motor test. ω3-supplemented animals exhibited lower anxiety level compared to control animals, what was accompanied by better performances in a reference spatial memory task (80% of successful trials vs 35% in controls, p<0.05), while the spontaneous locomotor activity was reduced by 31% in ω3-supplemented animals (p<0.001), a parameter that can be linked with lowered anxiety. The long-term dietary ω3 PUFA supplementation positively impacts on anxiety and cognitive performances in the adult mouse lemur. The supplementation of human food with ω3 fatty acids may represent a valuable dietary strategy to improve behavioural and cognitive functions

Maternal High Fat Diet Is Associated with Decreased Plasma n–3 Fatty Acids and Fetal Hepatic Apoptosis in Nonhuman Primates

To begin to understand the contributions of maternal obesity and over-nutrition to human development and the early origins of obesity, we utilized a non-human primate model to investigate the effects of maternal high-fat feeding and obesity on breast milk, maternal and fetal plasma fatty acid composition and fetal hepatic development. While the high-fat diet (HFD) contained equivalent levels of n-3 fatty acids (FA's) and higher levels of n-6 FA's than the control diet (CTR), we found significant decreases in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and total n-3 FA's in HFD maternal and fetal plasma. Furthermore, the HFD fetal plasma n-6∶n-3 ratio was elevated and was significantly correlated to the maternal plasma n-6∶n-3 ratio and maternal hyperinsulinemia. Hepatic apoptosis was also increased in the HFD fetal liver. Switching HFD females to a CTR diet during a subsequent pregnancy normalized fetal DHA, n-3 FA's and fetal hepatic apoptosis to CTR levels. Breast milk from HFD dams contained lower levels of eicosopentanoic acid (EPA) and DHA and lower levels of total protein than CTR breast milk. This study links chronic maternal consumption of a HFD with fetal hepatic apoptosis and suggests that a potentially pathological maternal fatty acid milieu is replicated in the developing fetal circulation in the nonhuman primate

Hypovitaminosis D and Its Associated Factors in North Algerian Postmenopausal Women: Results of a Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose. As the vitamin D status of Algerian postmenopausal women was poorly described, this cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence of low vitamin D status in a sample population. Secondarily, predictive factors of this hypovitaminosis D were explored. Methods. All the 336 selected women ≥ 45 years from Douera were interviewed to get anthropometric and lifestyle data, reproductive and medical history, medications, and calcium/vitamin D intakes. A blood sample was collected to measure 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations. Results. Approximately 86% of subjects had low vitamin D status (<20 ng/mL). Mean 25(OH)D level was 14.4 ± 5.3 ng/mL with a clear seasonal dynamic and a significant negative correlation with PTH levels (r  = −0.15, p=0.006). A multiple regression analysis using the 25(OH)D cutoff value of 17 ng/mL instead of the generally admitted level of 20 ng/mL was performed to increase statistical power. Other seasons than summer (OR 4.159 and 95% CI 2.456–7.043), obesity (≥30 kg/m2, OR 1.826, 95% CI 1.081–3.083), and veiling (OR 3.526, 95% CI 1.090–11.400) were significantly associated with 25(OH)D concentrations <17 ng/mL. Conclusions. In North Algeria, the abundant sunlight appears insufficient to fully offset hypovitaminosis D risk factors in postmenopausal women, especially obesity and veiling. It suggests the major need to increase vitamin D supplementation in this subpopulation