Chickens fed corn and soybean meal produce eggs with higher levels of inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids than chickens fed natural pasture and insects.
Mechanism
Synthesis from 2 studies
Chickens that eat corn and soybean meal take in a lot of omega-6 fats. These fats go straight into their eggs without being changed much. The more omega-6 they eat, the more omega-6 ends up in the egg yolk, making it richer in inflammatory fats.
Most probable mechanism
When chickens eat corn and soybean meal, their bodies absorb large amounts of omega-6 fatty acids from the food. These fatty acids travel to the liver, get packaged into fat-carrying particles, and are delivered to the developing egg. The egg yolk takes up these omega-6 fats and stores them in its lipids, making the yolk richer in inflammatory fats. The more omega-6 the chicken eats, the more ends up in the egg.
Dietary linoleic acid from corn and soybean meal is absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract
Absorbed linoleic acid is transported to the liver and remains unmetabolized due to low activity of desaturase enzymes that convert it to longer-chain derivatives
Linoleic acid is packaged into lipoproteins and transported to the ovary via the bloodstream
Linoleic acid is incorporated directly into egg yolk phospholipids and triglycerides during oocyte development
Egg yolk fatty acid composition reflects the dietary ratio of omega-6 to omega-3, resulting in elevated omega-6 concentration when dietary omega-3 is low
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (2)
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Contradicting (0)
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