Accretion of n-3 fatty acids in the brain and retina of chicks fed a low-linolenic acid diet supplemented with docosahexaenoic acid

Diets low in [alpha]-linolenic acid may not support normal brain accretion of n-3 fatty acids. An n-3 fatty acid-deficient diet was fed to laying hens and the resulting deficient chicks were fed a low-linolenic acid diet based on corn oil, or the same diet supplemented with docosahexaenoic acid. Control chicks from soybean oil-fed hens were fed a soybean oil-based diet. The fatty acid composition of the chick brains, retinas, livers, and serum was determined after 0-4 wk. The corn oil diet did not reverse the deficiency but the combination of corn oil and docosahexaenoic acid rapidly restored brain and retinal concentrations of docosahexaenoic acid. Supplemented chicks, however, showed a slight lowering of arachidonic acid in the brain and serum. This study demonstrates that a low-linolenic acid diet without docosahexaenoic acid fails to support accretion of n-3 fatty acids in the nervous tissue of chicks.