Epigenetic Roles in the Association Between Fish Oil Consumption and Reproduction Performance



Azizisoleiman F¹ ; Heidaribeni M² ; Poursafa P³ ; Kelishadi R⁴ Show Affiliations
Source: Fish Oil: Nutrition, Consumption and Health Published:2023

Abstract

Fish oil is an important source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5 n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 n-3). As human body cannot produce omega-3 fatty acids, it is considered as an essential fat that must be consumed from the diet or supplements. Several studies have investigated the effect of fish oil consumption on reproductive parameters. Findings of animal and human studies have supported the role of fish oil in prostaglandin and ovarian steroid synthesis, oocyte quality, embryo morphology, follicular maturation, fallopian tube motility, sperm quality and natural conception. However, studies have shown inconsistent findings. On the other hand, fish oil is a source of some heavy metals, which may have adverse impacts on reproductive hormones and fertility. Some evidence has showed that epigenetic mechanisms and gene expression may affect the normal reproductive function. One of the best characterized epigenetic factors is DNA methylation. According to the current findings, DNA methylation is associated with reproductive phenotypic variation. Fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids might affect one-carbon metabolism and DNA methylation, thus they can influence the reproductive function. The correlation between epigenetics and human reproduction is an interesting field of study. This chapter aims to summarize the current literature on the role of epigenetic modifications on the association between fish oil consumption and reproduction performance. © 2023 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.