Add your Article
- Agriculture
- Middle school science adventures
- Growing Healthier Tomato Plants
- Microbes at the Gas Pump
- Chemistry and Materials
- Smelly Traps for Lampreys
- A Spider's Silky Strength
- Butterfly Wings and Waterproof Coats
- E Learning Jamaica
- E Learning in Jamaica WIN PRIZES and try our Fun Animated Games
- 2014 GSAT Results for Jamaican Kids
- Results of GSAT are in schools this week
- Earth
- Arctic Algae Show Climate Change
- Killer Space Rock Snuffed Out Ancient Life
- A Volcano's Deadly Ash
- Environment
- Improving the Camel
- The Best Defense Is a Good Snow Fence
- Seabirds Deliver Arctic Pollutants
- GSAT Exam Preparation Jamaica
- Preparing for the GSAT Exam
- How are students placed after passing the GSAT exam
- 10 Common Mistakes When Preparing for the GSAT Math Test
- GSAT Exams Jamaica Scholarships
- 42,000 students will sit for the GSAT Exam in two weeks
- 2014 GSAT Results for Jamaican Kids
- GSAT Exam Preparation
- Parents
- Choosing a Preschool: What to Consider
- What Not to Say to Emerging Readers
- Raise a Lifelong Reader by Reading Aloud
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
