Study links Ahiflower oil to healthier neonatal brain development in parenteral nutrition

New research in Current Developments in Nutrition says a plant-based lipid emulsion containing Ahiflower oil helped reverse inflammatory and metabolic harms seen in conventional parenteral nutrition in a neonatal piglet model. The findings could influence how hospitals think about brain-supportive fat sources for premature infants and other patients who rely on intravenous feeding.

Why it matters: - Parenteral nutrition is often used for premature infants, neonates and critically ill patients who cannot eat or digest food normally. - Conventional PN lipid emulsions can impair immunity and drive systemic inflammation that harms early brain development. - The new findings point to a plant-based alternative that may better support neonatal brain growth, energy metabolism and long-term neurological health.

What happened: - Researchers at the University of Alberta studied a novel intravenous lipid emulsion, Vegaven®, made with Ahiflower® oil. - The study was published in Current Developments in Nutrition. - The team compared Vegaven® with SMOFlipid®, a fish oil-containing lipid emulsion used as standard-of-care PN. - The work used a neonatal piglet model designed to closely mimic human neonatal brain development.

The details: - Ahiflower® oil provides shorter-chain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, including ALA, SDA and GLA. - The study found these fatty acids helped prevent neuroinflammation tied to lipopolysaccharide, or LPS, leakage from the gut during PN. - Vegaven® supported energy metabolism and growth signaling in the developing brain. - The emulsion also reversed adverse effects seen with conventional PN in the model. - Dr. Michael Zaugg said the team measured insulin and insulin-like growth factor signaling, plus the brain’s energy fuel supply, rather than only fatty acid levels. - Zaugg said PN with Vegaven® provided significantly more energy substrates to the developing brain and supported neurodevelopment through activation of key transcription factors. - Zaugg said fish oil-based SMOFlipid® led to “energy stress,” which promoted catabolic events and inhibited growth. - Greg Cumberford, science lead of Natures Crops International, said the study shows Ahiflower® oil can support formation of long-chain fatty acids DHA and ARA from shorter precursors without provoking whole-body inflammation and insulin resistance. - The company said earlier research from the same group found bioactive lipid mediators from these precursors can enhance immunity and anabolic processes. - Natures Crops International described Ahiflower® oil as a plant-based omega-3 source with anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing benefits.

Between the lines: - The results strengthen the case for plant-based omega-3 sources in clinical nutrition, especially where inflammation and growth are tightly linked. - The study also suggests the choice of lipid emulsion in PN can affect not just fatty-acid status, but metabolic signaling in the developing brain. - The findings add to a broader effort to diversify omega-3 sources beyond marine oils.

What's next: - Dr. Zaugg will present the research and its implications for neonatal brain development at the Regenerate Symposium in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Sept. 17. - Natures Crops International said the findings expand the toolkit for clinical and specialized nutrition applications. - The company also said better understanding plant-derived omega-3 activity could help build a more resilient and sustainable omega-3 ecosystem. - More information is available through the company’s social channels and video channel.

The bottom line: - The research suggests Ahiflower oil-based PN may offer a brain-supportive alternative to conventional fish oil-based emulsions for the most vulnerable newborns.