Fatty Acid Modulation of the Endocannabinoid System and the Effect on Food Intake and Metabolism

Abstract

Endocannabinoids and their G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR) are a current research focus in the area of obesity due to the system's role in food intake and glucose and lipid metabolism. Importantly, overweight and obese individuals often have higher circulating levels of the arachidonic acid-derived endocannabinoids anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) and an altered pattern of receptor expression. Consequently, this leads to an increase in orexigenic stimuli, changes in fatty acid synthesis, insulin sensitivity, and glucose utilisation, with preferential energy storage in adipose tissue. As endocannabinoids are products of dietary fats, modification of dietary intake may modulate their levels, with eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid based endocannabinoids being able to displace arachidonic acid from cell membranes, reducing AEA and 2-AG production. Similarly, oleoyl ethanolamide, a product of oleic acid, induces satiety, decreases circulating fatty acid concentrations, increases the capacity for β-oxidation, and is capable of inhibiting the action of AEA and 2-AG in adipose tissue. Thus, understanding how dietary fats alter endocannabinoid system activity is a pertinent area of research due to public health messages promoting a shift towards plant-derived fats, which are rich sources of AEA and 2-AG precursor fatty acids, possibly encouraging excessive energy intake and weight gain.

A traditional dietary pattern is associated with lower odds of overweight and obesity among preschool children in Lebanon: a cross-sectional study

“…Based on a retrospective analysis of several studies, Heaney et al (2002) proposed that a daily increase of 300 mg of Ca, or approximately one dairy serving, was associated with a yearly reduction of approximately 1 kg of body fat in youth [44]. The Traditional Lebanese pattern also builds on the utilization of olive oil as the main source of added fat [41], thus increasing the intakes of monounsaturated fats, which have been suggested to modulate appetite and adiposity through their effects on body fat oxidation and insulin sensitivity [45,46].…”

Intake of farmed Atlantic salmon fed soybean oil increases hepatic levels of arachidonic acid-derived oxylipins and ceramides in mice

“…Endocannabinoids reportedly contribute to both diet-induced insulin resistance and steatosis [30,52] by activation of the cannabinoidreceptor. An increased proportion of the n-3 PUFAs in liver PLs may reduce the endocannabinoid tone by reducing the substrate availability for formation of the AA derived endocannabinoids, 2-AG and AEA [6,28] and increasing substrate availability for formation of the EPA and DHA derived endocannabinoids, eicosapentaenoyl ethanolamide (EPEA) and docosahexaenoyl ethanolamide (DHEA), respectively [53]. We have shown previously that increased levels of LA in salmon feed increased the levels of endocannabinoids in both salmon and in the mice consuming a high fat diet where 100% of the dietary protein were replaced by salmon [6].…”

Focus on fatty acids in the neurometabolic pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders

“…For example, they are precursors of endocannabinoids (Meijerink et al 2013;Naughton et al 2013), sphingolipids, and lipid oxidation products (lipoxins) as resolvins, maresins, and protectins (Schneider et al 2016). Endocannabinoids are neuromodulatory lipids derived from omega-6 arachidonic acid, and thought to be involved in regulation of mood and psychosis vulnerability.…”