The effect of increasing levels of fish oil on immune responses of broiler chickens

Abstract

There has been interest in the enrichment of poultry meat with long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) as a means of increasing the low consumption of these acids by humans consuming western diets. There is some concern, however, that at high levels of consumption, n-3 PUFA may have detrimental effects on immune function. However, research to date shows that strong controversy surrounds this immunomodulation. The aim of this experiment was to determine the effects of dietary long chain PUFA on aspects of immune function in broiler chickens.