Fatty acid metabolism: Implications for diet, genetic variation, and disease

Abstract

Cultures across the globe, especially Western societies, are burdened by chronic diseases such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Several factors, including diet, genetics, and sedentary lifestyle, are suspected culprits to the development and progression of these health maladies. Fatty acids are primary constituents of cellular physiology. Humans can acquire fatty acids by de novo synthesis from carbohydrate or protein sources or by dietary consumption. Importantly, regulation of their metabolism is critical to sustain balanced homeostasis, and perturbations of such can lead to the development of disease. Here, we review de novo and dietary fatty acid metabolism and highlight recent advances in our understanding of the relationship between dietary influences and genetic variation in fatty acid metabolism and their role in chronic diseases.

Keywords: De novo lipogenesis; Dietary fatty acids; Fatty acid metabolism; Genetic variation.

Figure 1. Standardizing Methods for Dietary Fat Studies in Humans

A. Current methodology often stratifies an isolated population by common ailments. Dietary habits are then determined by questionnaires and statistical association with genetic variation is assessed. B. Dietary intervention studies can directly assess the role of diet on health outcome. Here, the intervention with dietary PUFA supplement is tested on a subjects with a specific genetic profile to determine the health outcome, which is dependent on the time duration of the intervention.