Epigenetic effect of resolvins and omega-3 fatty acids
The intake of omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids, commonly derived from marine sources, has been shown to have beneficial effects on many chronic diseases. One of the main factors associated with chronic diseases is long term inflammation. It has been previously shown that these naturally derived n-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving effects. It has been indicated that n-3 fatty acids supplementation may have an epigenetic impact and provide a mechanism for these beneficial effects.
Epigenetic mechanisms are heritable changes to the genome that cannot be explained by changes to the DNA sequence. Epigenetic modifications include DNA methylation, histone modification and noncoding RNAs. The field is rapidly evolving. Currently we postulate that supplementation with n-3 fatty acids will alter the DNA methylation of genes involved in inflammation.
