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There is strong evidence that very long chain omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC3PUFA) are beneficial. The aim of this paper is to review the role of LC3PUFA in health and put this in context with habitual intakes and international recommendations.

A literature review was conducted to locate and summarise relevant published studies and reports.

There is good evidence that LC3PUFA help prevent cardiovascular disease, and may ameliorate inflammatory conditions and mental health issues, as well as supporting cognitive function throughout life. UK dietary surveys show that average fish intakes are well below the recommended two portions per week. Given that the majority of consumers do not eat oily fish, it is reasonable to consider the potential contribution of dietary supplements or fortified foods, although the latter must be sufficiently high in LC3PUFA to merit consideration.

Information on LC3PUFA intakes in the UK is lacking. Future dietary surveys should remedy this and look at the relative contribution of different food groups, including supplements, to LC3PUFA intakes.

This paper gives a concise, up‐to‐date overview on LC3PUFA sources, intakes, recommendations and their impact upon health.

The increase in seafood trade in recent years motivates more detailed studies of different species, as well as evaluation of the nutritional quality of their lipid content. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the fatty acid composition, especially the concentrations and fractionation of omega‐3 essential fatty acid in classes of mussels (male and female), oysters, squid, and octopus captured on the south coast of Brazil.

Fatty acid methyl esters were prepared by methylation of total lipids and were separated by gas chromatography. Quantification of LNA, AA, EPA, and DHA was done against tricosanoic acid methyl ester as an internal standard. Total lipids were fractionated into neutral lipids and polar lipids by classical column chromatography.

The results of this study were as follows: the female mussel had the highest lipid content (3.52 per cent), followed by the male mussel (2.70 per cent), squid (1.05 per cent), octopus (0.79 per cent), and oyster (0.62 per cent). The samples that had the highest percentages of EPA and DHA in their lipid fraction were the female mussel and squid, respectively. The species belonging to the Bivalvia class (mussels and oysters) showed a predominance of PL, while those belonging to the cephalopods class (octopus and squid), showed a predominance of NL. The n‐6/n‐3 and polyunsaturated fatty acid/saturated fatty acids ratios of all samples analyzed were in accordance with the recommendations. The female mussel had the highest concentration of EPA+DHA omega‐3 fatty acids, corresponding to 1,064.63 mg EPA+DHA 100 g⁻¹ of the sample. So, the consumption of mussels caught off the southern coast of Brazil provides the omega‐3 essential fatty acids.

This paper provides important data concerning lipid quality of seafood caught off on the south coast of Brazil.

This study aimed to analyze the lipid content and fatty acid composition in the liver and muscle of a porcupinefish species inhabiting waters around the Ryukyu Islands to investigate their potential as a source of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs).

Porcupinefish were collected along the Okinawa Island coast. The composition of fatty acids and cholesterol in both liver and muscle were analyzed using a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer.

The liver of Okinawan long-spine porcupinefish was rich in lipids whose content correlated to the proportion of liver/body weight. Fatty acid compositions in their liver and muscles were similar to each other. LC-PUFAs occupied 44% of total fatty acids, with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) being the dominant (42%), whereas eicosapentaenoic acid occupied 2.4%. The liver contained 1,690 mg of cholesterol and 14.8 g of DHA per 100 g, whose proportion decreased in summer compared to other seasons (p = 0.036).

The liver of Okinawan long-spine porcupinefish, which has not yet been commercially used although its non-toxicity is claimed, can be an excellent source of LC-PUFAs, especially DHA, accentuating its potential in food supplements’ production.

The present randomised controlled trial aimed to assess the effects of 8-week supplementation of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) on the n-3 index and performance of professional male football players.

A total of 27 professional male football players were randomly assigned into 2 groups: placebo (n = 14) and n-3 LCPUFA (n = 13). n-3 LCPUFA supplements containing 1.5 g eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 600 mg docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were administered as 6 capsules (four in the morning and two in the evening, 30 min after a meal). Anthropometry, body composition, dried-blood spot n-3 LCPUFA levels, exercise performance and dietary intake of football players were measured at week 0, week 4 and week 8.

n-3 LCPUFA supplementation improved blood levels of EPA and DHA levels, omega-3 index vs placebo (p time*group = 0.010, 0.041 and 0.018, respectively). n-3 LCPUFA supplemented group had significantly higher aerobic capacity than placebo participants, at week 8 (p group = 0.021).

This study shows the effect of n-3 LCPUFA supplementation in Malaysian professional male football players involved in team sports having low dietary intakes of n-3 LCPUFA.

The 1991 National Health service reforms have greatly changed the role of district health authorities. These bodies employ most public health physicians in England and thus the focus of public health departments has changed with the reforms. Presents the results of a series of semi‐structured interviews with the board members of two health authorities about the role of public health. Board members outlined several roles for the specialty including defining key issues, interpreting technical issues, intelligence gathering, developing links with clinicians and legitimizing health authority decisions. There were some concerns about the corporacy of public health departments. There was a great deal of support for health promotion, but some reluctance to be drawn into political issues. Also explored were alternative sources of advice on health policy, such as the views of general practitioners.

Aims to assess the level of agreement between priorities of service provision in 20 discrete clinical areas, as laid out in a district health authority (DHA) purchasing plan, and the views of GPs in the catchment area of that authority and to test for a statistically significant difference between the views of fundholding and non‐fundholding GPs. A 74 per cent response rate was achieved, and analysis suggested that local GPs′ views were broadly in line with their DHA strategy, and that a significant difference existed between the views of fundholders and non‐fundholders in only one treatment area, namely that of lithotripsy. Concludes that the postal questionnaire is a cheap and easy method of assessing the views of GPs on prioritizing issues. As yet there is little difference between fundholding and non‐fundholding GPs in this area of decision making.

Describes how the 1984 Registered Homes Act has been implemented at the DHA and operational levels, concentrating on the monitoring of care in private nursing homes. It can be seen that, perhaps due to the unspecific nature of the Act, there are significant differences between the DHAs, in terms of the degree of importance attached to quality of care. However, at the operational level, this issue was considered to be more salient, although still reliant on the discretion of each individual inspection officer. Puts forward a three‐point plan for strengthening inspection practices.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the fatty acid composition of the edible snail Turbo coronatus from the Bahrain sea.

Total lipid content was extracted and methyl esters of fatty acids (FAMEs) were prepared and analyzed by gas chromatography.

Gas‐liquid chromatography shows that saturated fatty acids (SFA) are the major forms of fatty acids, followed by polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). The most abundant PUFA are linolenic acid (18:3n‐3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA 20:5n‐3), linoleic acid (18:2n‐6), and arachidonic acid (ARA 20:4n‐6), the MUFA 16:1 (n‐7), and the SFA 16:0, 14:0, 18:0 and 20:0. The sum of EPA and DHA is 8.04 per cent. The n‐3/n‐6 fatty acids ratio approximately (2:1) is within the range of marine molluscs. The principle differences in the fatty acid composition of Turbo coronatus than most marine molluscs is their low DHA (0.23±0.01 per cent), low PUFA (40.92 per cent), and high SFA contents (49.25 per cent). The principle differences in the fatty acid composition of Turbo coronatus from most marine molluscs is their low DHA (0.23±0.01 per cent), low PUFA (40.92 per cent), and high SFA contents (49.25 per cent).

The Turbo coronatus samples were collected from Shaikh Ebrahim Island; however, further studies regarding the fatty acid composition of Turbo coronatus from other locations are required.

The results suggest that Turbo coronatus feeds on bacteria‐enriched detritic matter as well as phytoplankton and algae. The low concentration of PUFA in relation to SFA in Turbo coronatus can be attributed to warm water, high salinity, and food availability.

The paper provides valuable information about the fatty acid contents in Turbo coronatus, and its feeding habits, and nutritional values.