Novel aspects of fatty acids: nutrition and biological functions

D ietary lipids have been in focus since the very beginning of nutrition research, and recommendations have emphasized their effects related to blood cholesterol levels and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Progress in recent years has shown that fatty acids and specific lipid compounds have many other cellular and metabolic functions of key importance for normal cell metabolism, as well as in the development of obesity and related chronic diseases. Lipid components are important regulators of gene expression, cell signalling, inflammation and carcinogenesis, and also include anticarcinogenic factors. Epigenetic regulation and early metabolic programming is an evolving area where fatty acids seem to play a key role, and some lipid components are crucial for the development and function of the brain. The symposium included plenary presentations and poster presentations of the host of newly discovered key functions of fatty acids and specific lipid components, and future challenges for research in this area were highlighted. The implications of these new developments for nutrition recommendations at various ages were discussed, along with the challenges and possibilities for the food industry to implement new findings into the development of nutritionally optimized foods and products with specific health-promoting effects. The symposium was funded by the Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems (Vinnova), the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (Formas), Arla Foods, the Cerealia Foundation R&D, Danone, Nestlé SA, and Unilever Food and Health Research Institute; this funding is gratefully acknowledged. A summary report is given here based on the plenary presentations, which are published as Supplement 2/2006 of the Scandinavian Journal of Food and Nutrition, provided with this issue (1).