Nutritional armor in evolution: docosahexaenoic acid as a determinant of neural, evolution and hominid brain development.
The aim of this article is to draw attention to the special significance of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the brain, the potential relevance of its abundance to the evolution of the brain in past history, and now the relevance of paucity in the food supply to the rise in mental ill-health. Membrane lipids of photoreceptors, synapses, and neurons over the last 600 million years contained consistent and similarly high levels of DHA despite wide genomic change. The consistency is despite the DHA precursor differing only by 2 protons. This striking conservation is an example of Darwin's "Conditions of Existence," which he described as the higher force in evolution. A purpose of this article is to suggest that the present paradigm of food production currently based on protein requirements, should change to serve the specific lipid needs of the brain to address the rise in mental ill-health.(1.)
Imperial College, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Campus, 369 Fulham Road, London SW10 9NH, United Kingdom.
Michael A
MA
Crawford
Environmental Microbiology and Food Safety Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, Building 173 Room 103, BARC-East Beltsville, MD 20705.
C Leigh
CL
Broadhurst
Centre for Neurodegenerative Disorders, Sherbrook University, 1036, rue Belvédère Sud, Sherbrooke, Québec J1H 4C4, Canada.
Stephen
S
Cunnane
The Weizmann Institute of Science, 234 Herzl Street, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.
David E
DE
Marsh
Centre for Neurodegenerative Disorders, Sherbrook University, 1036, rue Belvédère Sud, Sherbrooke, Québec J1H 4C4, Canada.
Walter F
WF
Schmidt
The Weizmann Institute of Science, 234 Herzl Street, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.
Annette
A
Brand
London Metropolitan University, 166-220 Holloway Road, London N7 8DB, United Kingdom.
Kebreab
K
Ghebremeskel
D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004032:Diet; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005523:Food Supply; D006801:Humans; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D009420:Nervous System / Q000254:growth & development*
D008563:Membrane Lipids; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids