Re: debate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachidonic_acid
Muscle growthArachidonic acid is necessary for the repair and growth of skeletal muscle tissue. One of the lead researchers of the Baylor study on arachidonic acid, Mike Roberts MS, CSCS, has authored an article published under the title Arachidonic Acid, The New Mass Builder explaining the role of this nutrient in muscle anabolism, and its potential for the enhancement of muscle size and strength.[9>
Roberts claims that for optimal muscle growth a training stimulus must elicit localized inflammation and soreness. He also shows that arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n-6) is an essential Omega-6 (1-6) polyunsaturated fatty acid that is abundant in skeletal muscle membrane phospholipids (figure 2). It is also the body's principal building block for the production of prostaglandins, which are known to have various physiological roles including a close involvement in inflammation. Also, the prostaglandin isomer PGF2a has a potent ability to stimulate muscle growth. As such, Roberts says that arachidonic acid is a regulator of localized muscle inflammation, and he claims that it may be a central nutrient controlling the intensity of the anabolic/tissue-rebuilding response to weight training.
BrainArachidonic acid is one of the most abundant fatty acids in the brain, and is present in similar quantities to DHA (docosahexaenoic acid ). The two account for approximately 20% of its fatty acid content[10> . Like DHA, neurological health is reliant upon sufficient levels of arachidonic acid. Among other things, arachidonic acid helps to maintain hippocampal cell membrane fluidity[11> . It also helps protect the brain from oxidative stress by activating perioxisomal proliferator-activated receptor-y[12> . ARA also activates syntaxin-3 (STX-3), a protein involved in the growth and repair of neurons[13> .
Arachidonic acid is also involved in early neurological development. In one study funded by the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, infants (18 months) given supplemental arachidonic acid for 17 weeks demonstrated significant improvements in intelligence, as measured by the Mental Development Index (MDI)[14> . This effect is further enhanced by the simultaneous supplementation of ARA with DHA.
In adults, the disturbed metabolism of ARA may be associated with neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's Disease and Bipolar Disorder[15> . This may involve the increased consumption of ARA at the cellular level, and significant alterations in its conversion to other bioactive molecules (overexpression or disturbances in the ARA enzyme cascade). The increased consumption of dietary arachidonic acid is not believed to cause these neurological disorders. In the Journal of Lipid Research,

Thanks for your Reply!
Tweet