Can't wait to eat healthy sausage! haha


Transgenic pigs are rich in healthy fats

Transgenic pigs enriched with omega-3 fatty acids could one day make pork sausages a healthy food choice.

Omega-3s are found at high concentrations in oily fish and foods like flax seeds. Another class of lipid, omega-6 fatty acids, is common in meat. The Western diet has become strongly skewed towards the consumption of omega-6 fatty acids over omega-3s, and this is believed to contribute to an increased incidence of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other diseases.

In 2004, researchers created pigs that can convert their unhealthy omega-6 fatty acids into omega-3s, changing the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats by fivefold. The team used cloning techniques to create piglets that produce an enzyme - originally from a nematode worm - that converts omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3s .

The latest study found that omega-3s made up an average of 8% of the total fat in the six transgenic piglets' muscles, compared with 1 to 2% in normal piglets.

Study co-author Jing Kang at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, US, believes the team can double the omega-3 concentration in subsequent efforts, bringing the levels close to those found in fish.
Pregnancy dilemma

Today’s omega-3 fatty acid supply is limited by depleted fishing stocks, he notes. In addition, eating fish poses a dilemma for pregnant women, who may be worried about mercury contamination, says co-author Yifan Dai of the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US. “If we have a supply of omega-3 without mercury contamination, it will be the perfect supplement for the mother,” he says.

The researchers doubt the pork’s flavour would be significantly affected by the gene. But for the moment nobody can taste meat from the transgenic pigs without approval from the US’s regulatory authority, the Food and Drug Administration. In the meantime, the pigs will be bred and their offspring used for cardiovascular and other research. “My guess is that the transgenic pigs will be healthier, because they will have a better ratio of omega-3 to omega-6,” says Dai.

However, two recent studies cast doubt on the well-publicised benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. A recent review of studies suggested they may not help prevent cancer, and a review appearing in the British Medical Journalfound no clear evidence that omega-3s decreased mortality or cardiovascular events.

But the new pigs would not make it healthy to eat unlimited amounts of bacon, Dai warns. Though omega-3s are made in muscle and organ tissues, the fat that streaks bacon would remain high in unhealthy saturated fat. For those who would prefer a drumstick or a burger, omega-3-boosted chickens and cows are in the pipeline, Kang says.

Journal reference: Nature Biotechnology (DOI: 10.1038/nbt1198)

awesome....good post.

Sweet, there is no chance of mercury contamination either

My favorite part.... "nematode worm".

now figure a way to genetically alter the sat fat content, while keeping the flavor. good luck.....and i mean it.