PUFA-Induced Antioxidant Deficiency

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POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACID-INDUCED ANTIOXIDANT INSUFFICIENCY. Richard S. Lord, PhD, and J. Alexander Bralley, PhD, CCN. Integrative Medicine • Vol. 1, No. 1 • Dec 2002/Jan 2003

Although still promoting EFA dogma, interesting in that this article discusses free radical pathology induced by excessive intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as association with increased lipid peroxide, arachodonic acid levels.

The consumption of essential fatty acid dietary supplements has risen sharply in recent years due to increasing awareness of epidemic deficiencies and a rising tide of scientific evidence of adverse clinical effects caused by deficiency. However, just as the development of essential fatty acid deficiency is an insidious process, so is the free radical pathology induced by excessive intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Quantitative concentration determinations of arachidonic acid (AA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in plasma, malondialdehyde, and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), and vitamin E in serum were made on 478 individuals. Serum TBARS values of .90, 1.07, and 1.28 nmol/mL were found for populations in low, middle, and high quartiles of plasma AA and EPA. Evidence is presented for a strong linear relationship of lipid peroxide (LPO) values and the AA and EPA sum. The elevation of LPO is found even when serum vitamin E is normal. Five cases with widely varying medical histories illustrate slight to extreme elevations of LPO when either AA or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is elevated. We conclude that PUFAinduced lipid peroxidation is common among patients who supplement flax and fish oils with inadequate antioxidant protection. Clinical management of fatty acid and antioxidant supplementation is aided by testing for fatty acid balance and measuring markers of oxidant damage.​