Long term effect of dietary alpha-linolenic (ALA) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the incorporation of of DHA and its influence in vivo on the rat heart

National audience; The present study was designed to evaluate if a high (20% of the fatty acids) and long term supply of dietary ALA as supplied in the diet by whole grain extruded linseed (Valorex) can increase the endogenous pro- duction of the long-chain n-3 PUFAs in healthy adult rats, and influence heart rate and adrenergic response like a DHA-rich diet. The enrichment in DHA was evaluated using fatty acid analysis by GC in various membranes (heart, brain, .. .) after 2, 4, 6 and 8 months of feeding (n = 7) from male Wistar rats randomly assigned to three groups (n = 36) and fed a normal fat diet (NFD), a ALA-rich diet (ALA) or a DHA-rich diet (DHA). In parallel three groups (n = 8) we…