Grant: China-Canada Joint Health Research Initiative

Fish oils contain special fatty products called omega3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Studies dating back nearly 40 years demonstrated that Eskimos in Greenland who ate lots of these oils had very low risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) like heart attacks and stroke. For many years researchers have tried to figure out why these omega3 PUFA are beneficial in our diets. Recently, a protein called GPR120 was discovered to be responsible for some of the actions of these fatty molecules. We are investigating how omega3 PUFA combined with a common drug aspirin will reduce CVD through GPR120 and special anti-inflammatory actions of compounds known as resolvins. Dr. Funk at Queen's University and Dr. Yu at the Institute for Nutritional Sciences, Shanghai Institutes of Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences are combining their expertise and past experience of working together to answer important questions to protect Canadians and Chinese people from the devastating consequences of heart disease.