Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) - Glossary

Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA)

Posted By on Mar 15, 2009 | 0 comments

An omega-3 fatty acid produced in the body from alpha-linolenic acid.  Fatty fish, fish oil and microalgae are dietary sources of pre-formed EPA.  EPA is incorporated into cell membrane phospholipids, and serves as a precursor to anti-inflammatory eicosanoids such as PGE3 and PGF3…as such EPA-derived eicosanoids mediate the inflammatory effects of arachidonic acid-derived, pro-inflammatory eicosanoids.

EPA and its metabolite, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), play important roles in lipid metabolism, neurological development/health and disease prevention.

Author: elissa

Elissa is a former research associate with the University of California at Davis, and the author/co-author of over a dozen articles published in scientific journals. Currently a freelance writer and researcher, Elissa brings her multidisciplinary education and training to her writing on nutrition and supplements.

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