Nutegrity Brings Experts to Discuss DPA and Fatty Acids

IRVINE, Cali.—Nutegrity brought together 13 leading scientists in the area of lipid and fatty acid research and 100 more attendees to discuss the biological effects of docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) on lipid metabolism in health and disease at a symposium in early July.

“The significance of DPA and its role in improving various aspects of human health is just starting to be uncovered, and to be able to examine and discuss research specific to DPA is a huge benefit to myself and the scientific community," said symposium presenter Catherine Jane Field, Ph.D., R.D., professor at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

“What was revealed throughout this symposium is that DPA has demonstrated immense promise in its ability to help reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as inflammation, which is the source for most chronic illnesses. Additionally, there is a large body of research underway focusing on DPA specifically that will continue to help us piece together its unique and positive role in human health," she continued.

Thousands of scientific studies support the health benefits of fish oils. However, many studies that have been conducted using whole fish oils have attributed the health benefits to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) only, even though whole fish oil is a mixture of more than 40 fatty acids. Historically, this has occurred because EPA and DHA are present in relatively large levels in marine oils even though they still comprise only 20 to 30 percent of fish oil by volume. DPA, an elongated version of EPA, is present in fish oil but has not received nearly as much attention from the scientific community as its relatives EPA and DHA. 

This symposium, which was held in conjunction with the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) conference, utilized a combination of oral presentations and posters to cover topics including dietary sources of DPA, dietary intake of DPA, DPA levels in various human and animal tissue, DPA and inflammation and DPA and vascular health.

Earlier this year, Nutegrity donated $20,000 to Vitamin Angels to bring vital nutrients to at-risk populations worldwide.