Polyunsaturated fatty acids, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease: time to widen our view of the mechanisms

For at least 50 yr, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been studied intensively as nutrients that protect against cardiovascular disease (CVD). As new mechanisms have been identified, research and clinical emphasis have shifted from one type of PUFA to another. As a class, PUFAs vary in several characteristics, namely length of the carbon chain from 18 to 22 carbons, number of double bonds between carbon atoms, and the position of the first double bond in the chain denoted as omega-6 or omega-3 (alternatively, n-6 or n-3). The double bonds, as few as two or as many as six, are located in a series beginning at either the third or the sixth carbon atom from the methyl end of the molecule and extending toward the carboxyl group. The biological properties of PUFAs are related to these three characteristics, although not necessarily in a uniform way, as we will discuss.

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