* "Dietary intake of DHA (omega 3 fatty acid) is associated with several health benefits, including normal brain and eye function2. .. mice that lack the protei

* "Dietary intake of DHA (omega 3 fatty acid) is associated with several health benefits, including normal brain and eye function2. .. mice that lack the protein Mfsd2a, which transports DHA across the blood–brain barrier into the brain, develop severe retinal and brain dysfunction3" * A quick search shows that a) DHAs are vital for brain function and b) the role of Mfsd2a is known: "Mfsd2a-deficient (Mfsd2a-knockout) mice show markedly reduced levels of DHA in brain accompanied by neuronal cell loss in hippocampus and cerebellum, as well as cognitive deficits and severe anxiety, and microcephaly. " https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13241?WT.feed_name=subjects_phospholipids https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13241?WT.feed_name=sub... * OP paper says: DHA and DHA oxidation produced epoxide metabolites "are associated with beneficial retinal effects" and an enzyme called sEH degrade them to form 19,20-DHDP, "suggesting that sEH has a causal role in diabetic retinopathy." (which is "a major cause of blindness in middle age"). * Then .. plot twist: And then "Hu and colleagues showed that it is the production of 19,20-DHDP, rather than the reduction in DHA or epoxide molecules, that is the key trigger of vascular degeneration. * "19,20-DHDP acts through a different mechanism from that of another player in retinopathy — vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). This protein is induced under low-oxygen conditions.." * So the real villain here is increased sEH and the question for future research is "what triggers increases in sEH production in diabetic retinopathy"