Add your Article
- Chemistry and Materials
- Cold, colder and coldest ice
- The memory of a material
- Butterfly Wings and Waterproof Coats
- E Learning Jamaica
- E Learning in Jamaica WIN PRIZES and try our Fun Animated Games
- Results of GSAT are in schools this week
- 2014 GSAT Results for Jamaican Kids
- GSAT Exam Preparation Jamaica
- Results of GSAT are in schools this week
- GSAT stars reap scholarship glory
- How are students placed after passing the GSAT exam
- GSAT Exams Jamaica Scholarships
- Results of GSAT are in schools this week
- Access denied - Disabled boy aces GSAT
- 42,000 students will sit for the GSAT Exam in two weeks
- GSAT Mathematics
- Secrets of an Ancient Computer
- 10 Common Mistakes When Preparing for the GSAT Math Test
- Monkeys Count
- Parents
- Children and Media
- Expert report highlights the importance to parents of reading to children!
- Raise a Lifelong Reader by Reading Aloud
- Plants
- Tracking the Sun Improves Plant Pollen
- White fuzzy mold not as friendly as it looks
- Hungry bug seeks hot meal
- Space and Astronomy
- Planning for Mars
- Intruder Alert: Sweeping Space for Dust
- Mercury's magnetic twisters
Moving Good Fats from Fish to Mice
Published: 07/02/2010
Fish is good for you. But if you can't stand eating fish, you might still be in luck. Thanks to some crafty genetic engineering, omelets, hamburgers, and other foods of the future could have some of the health benefits of fish, without smelling like the sea. Fish such as trout and salmon are loaded with fats called omega-3 fatty acids. These fats are much better for you than the omega-6 fats found in red meat or poultry. Omega-3 fats make your heart healthier. Omega-6 fats do the opposite. Amazingly, worms known as nematodes have a gene that converts omega-6 fats into omega-3 fats. A group of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston wanted to see if they could tap into the power of this particular gene. So, they took it out of some worms and put it into some mice. The experimental mice were then raised on the same diet as a group of normal mice. After 8 weeks, muscle tissue from the experimental mice had more omega-3 fat than omega-6 fat. This was a huge improvement. Normal mice have far more omega-6 fat than omega-3 fat. Researchers hope eventually to be able to put this worm gene into cows and chickens. The resulting milk, beef, and eggs would then be rich in good fats and as healthy for your heart as a slab of grilled salmon. Don't be surprised if worm genes someday wind up enriching your milk or yogurt. Your taste buds won't notice the difference, but your heart will reap the rewards.—E. Sohn
Moving Good Fats from Fish to Mice
