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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 Jul 27.
Published in final edited form as: Annu Rev Nutr. 2011 Aug 21;31:321–351. doi: 10.1146/annurev.nutr.012809.104635

Figure 2.

Figure 2

Flow of the ω-3 fatty acid (FA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (22:6), or its precursor, α-linolenic acid (ALA) (18:3), from the gastrointestinal lumen to the lymphatic system. DHA is required for the synthesis of phospholipids for nervous system membrane biogenesis. If unavailable, DHA can be synthesized from ALA. Enterocytes of the small intestine take up these FAs and package them for delivery to the endothelial cells of the lymphatic system. From there, they are transferred to the central lacteal and delivered to the circulatory system for transport. Detailed molecular events are not well understood as of yet.