Resolvins and Protectins:  Did You Get Your Anti-Aging DHA Today?

Low-grade inflammation is the tell-tale sign of many diseases of aging as well as the inappropriate acceleration of the aging process. Astounding new science is explaining how DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. works to resolve this issue and protect you from damage – thus slowing the rate of inappropriate aging and the risk for disease. Since the mechanism involved is relatively new and since the information is so important, I am taking some time to help explain what this means to your health. 

Allow me to briefly review what is already well known, as it will help you understand the new discoveries in their proper context. The role of essential fatty acids and inflammation as they relate to disease has been discussed for several decades. This extensive body of literature focuses on fatty acid metabolites called eicosanoids, which are 20 carbons in length (such as arachidonic acid).  All cell membranes in your body have a fatty layer. This membrane needs omega 3 fatty acids (like EPA Eicosapentanoic acid. Type of long chain essential fatty acid - Omega 3 oil. Works in concert with DHA. Must gotten through food sources such as deep cold water fish or some limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. and DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement.) in order to counter-balance the inflammatory effects of arachidonic acid (AA - a polyunsaturated omega 6 fatty acid that is also in the cell membranes). When your cells come under some sort of stressful situation, your cell membranes communicate to your DNA, in turn liberating fatty acids in your cell membrane to send out inflammatory signals that are typically used to deal with the stressor that has been encountered. AA starts the inflammatory ball going, generating other inflammatory signals such COX2 (which many pain meds try to suppress) and lipoxygenase (the pathway that produces leukotrienes Powerful inflammatory fatty molecules of the immune system that contribute to inflammation in asthma, allergic disorders, atherogenesis, and arterial wall remodeling. that are typically involved in asthma and allergy). 

All of the inflammatory fatty acid eicosanoids are produced by inserting oxygen into the fatty acid molecule, a process that makes a lot of free radicals.  This is a main reason why you must have adequate antioxidants to protect against the byproducts of inflammation. It has long been recognized that increasing omega 3 fatty acid intake while reducing omega 6 intake helps offset this inflammatory state of affairs. Our evolutionary diet is a 4:1 ratio, omega 3 to omega 6. The Western diet is often a 25:1 ratio – incredibly pro-inflammatory and disease producing.

The Dawn of Resolution Biology

It is a cornerstone belief of Western medicine that the human body will automatically bounce back from what is done to it – a mechanism defined as homeostasis Property of a system that regulates its internal environment to remain in a stable, constant condition. . Western medicine has believed that homeostasis Property of a system that regulates its internal environment to remain in a stable, constant condition. just happens. This is a very convenient belief system when most of your treatment strategies dump some type of toxin into the human body.

Once the human genome was mapped and we had new tools for viewing what was actually going on, many of the convenient assumptions of Western medicine that bolster drug sales have been proven false. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean the practice of medicine has changed. It has just reached new levels of denial, wherein so called experts claim the benefits outweigh the risks regardless of whatever the risks may be. 

Imagine the shock waves that must be secretly going through Big Pharma and AMA boardrooms when it suddenly becomes obvious that your body has an on purpose method¹ of resolving inflammatory stress and balancing homeostasis Property of a system that regulates its internal environment to remain in a stable, constant condition. . Imagine further, the utter horror going through the room when this key method of health is dependent on having adequate DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement.², a 22 carbon-length omega 3 essential fatty acid that is working by methods completely different than those explained by our previous understanding of eicosanoids.

The field is called resolution biology³.  It is the science of how your body resolves inflammation so that you do not age any faster than you have to and can prevent the inflammatory diseases that commonly occur during aging (cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, obesity, heart disease, etc.). This new field of science sprung up because fatty acids like EPA Eicosapentanoic acid. Type of long chain essential fatty acid - Omega 3 oil. Works in concert with DHA. Must gotten through food sources such as deep cold water fish or some limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. and DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. were shown to make specific molecules that actually resolve inflammation and return your body to a state of healthy balance – a true scientific understanding of homeostasis Property of a system that regulates its internal environment to remain in a stable, constant condition. .     

Resolvins and Protectins

In a nutshell, the new science shows that once your body starts an inflammatory process it also starts an anti-inflammatory process that will eventually curtail the inflammation as well as clean up the debris of battle⁴ – returning your body to like-new condition. It should be rather obvious that the cleaner and more rejuvenated you can keep yourself the longer and healthier you will live. Conversely, the more inflamed you remain, with wear and tear evident, the more at risk is your quality of health. Scientists are now calling these new fatty acid metabolites specialized proresolving mediators (SPM).  The two most extensively studies SPMs to date are resolvins and protectins.

Resolvins are compounds that help your body resolve inflammation. Two resolvins come from EPA Eicosapentanoic acid. Type of long chain essential fatty acid - Omega 3 oil. Works in concert with DHA. Must gotten through food sources such as deep cold water fish or some limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. (E1 and E2) and four resolvins come from DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. (D1, D2, D3, and D4).  Resolvins are highly interactive with your mucosal immune system. Deficiencies are associated with a faulty immune response as well as allergy⁶ and asthma⁷.  All types of resolvins are highly specific in their actions towards resolution of inflammation, including the clean up process of general wear and tear or an immune system battle.  Exactly what they are doing is now under intense scientific exploration.

Protectins come from DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. and were first classified as powerful nerve protectors, protecting your brain and eyesight. They are made by brain cells, nerve cells that involve vision, and were later found to be made by various immune cells and endothelial cells Single layer of cells that line the internal lining of blood vessels. They are involved with control of vascular tone and blood pressures along with exchange fo gas and metabolic products and extravasation of immune compounds. throughout your body. They were originally called neuroprotectins, but it was then discovered they were also active outside of the brain and so were given the general name of protectins. Emerging science demonstrates they are lacking in cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s. 

Resolvins and protectins are boosted up by omega 3 fatty acid supplementation. They have been shown to prevent bone inflammation⁸ following the removal of ovaries (supporting DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement.’s role in bone health). The production of resolvins and protectins is a system-wide process in your body and vital to recovery from anything and maintaining a state of healthy natural balance⁹.  If you lack omega 3 fatty acids you cannot possibly make them at an optimal rate. These anti-inflammatory DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. metabolites are highly active in tissues all over your body.

Powering Your Brain with DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement.

A comprehensive review of the vital role of DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. in your brain has recently been published (which you can read in full)¹⁰ explaining in detail the relationship of DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. to AA and other dietary fats. The review points out that “An important turning point in human evolution was the discovery of high-quality, easily digested nutrients from coastal seafood and inland freshwater sources. Multi-generational exploitation of seafood by shore-based dwellers coincided with the rapid expansion of grey matter in the cerebral cortex, which characterizes the modern human brain. The DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. molecule has unique structural properties that appear to provide optimal conditions for a wide range of cell membrane functions. This has particular implications for grey matter, which is membrane-rich tissue. An important metabolic role for DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. has recently been identified as the precursor for resolvins and protectins.”

Experiments with rats show that deprivation of dietary omega 3 fatty acids¹¹ decreases brain levels of DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. while increasing brain levels of the pro-inflammatory AA, thus creating a handicap in the brain to deal with inflammation. The researchers note that problems such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and major depression all involve too much inflammation in the nerves.

Several of the most recent studies on DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. and brain inflammation emphasize the importance of DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement.’s production of the protectin referred to as NPD1 (neuroprotectin D1).  Researchers are now documenting how this DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. protectin helps repair brain injury following stroke¹². Researchers believe that this is a front line defense system used in your brain to protect against the first changes to brain cells that indicate some form of stress.  Not only are researchers conducting detailed experiments¹³ relating to stroke, Alzheimer’s, and stressed brain cells to prove these mechanisms – it also appears the same mechanisms are vital for protecting your eyesight. Resolvins and protectins work in part by turning off excessive activation of the core inflammatory gene signal NF-kappaB Protein complex that controls DNA transcription and is involved with cellular responses to stress, cytokines, free radicals, UV radiation, oxidized LDL, and infections. , a method of operation that researchers feel is how DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. helps prevent or reduce the severity of the number one cause of blindness in the world – age-related macular degeneration¹⁴.

Resolvins and Protectins for Cardiovascular Health & Weight Management

Researchers are quite excited because the same DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement.-related resolvins and protectins that assist your brain and nerves also show great promise in helping your cardiovascular system. It is well known that immune system macrophages interact with the endothelial cells Single layer of cells that line the internal lining of blood vessels. They are involved with control of vascular tone and blood pressures along with exchange fo gas and metabolic products and extravasation of immune compounds. that line your arteries in a way that can promote plaque formation of your arteries. As it turns out, this adverse inflammatory and plaque-forming communication can be directly changed and improved by the resolvins and protectins of DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement.¹⁵.  The researchers are so hopeful about this finding that they state “We hypothesize that increased endogenous lipid mediators mentioned above [resolvins and protectins] play a vital role in anti-atherosclerosis and plaque stabilization through pro-resolution and anti-inflammation by LOX/LTs [lipoxidase/leukotrienes Powerful inflammatory fatty molecules of the immune system that contribute to inflammation in asthma, allergic disorders, atherogenesis, and arterial wall remodeling. ] pathway. In addition, we predict that the endogenous lipid mediators may be a new target for treatment of atherosclerotic diseases¹⁶.”

Any time an overweight person loses weight in a healthy manner then their cardiovascular health is improved. It is now clear that resolvins and protectins help reduce the inflammation of obesity and even help clear out the fatty liver¹⁷ that so often occurs in overweight people. In addition to its direct anti-inflammatory properties within white adipose tissue, resolvins and protectins were shown to boost adiponectin Protein hormone that modulates metabolism including glucose and fatty acid catabolism. High levels are associated with low body fat. and thereby help resolve insulin resistance. DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. helps weight management by multiple mechanisms, as I have previously reviewed in my article, Maximizing DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. Intake Supports Weight Loss.

Summary

Resolvins and protectins are part of the new frontier of nutrition science in the war against common diseases in America today. The anti-inflammatory properties of resolvins and protectins are stunning. This offers great hope for improved brain function and cardiovascular fitness – simply by consuming DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. in food and supplements. Even more stunning is their documented method of operation which for the first time explains the final steps of homeostasis Property of a system that regulates its internal environment to remain in a stable, constant condition. in the recovery from stress and complete resolution of any stressful event. This latter discovery is adequate to cause the rewriting of the theory of Western medicine.