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This study aims to quantify the dietary intake of different fat classes in Lebanese adults, compare the intakes between adult age groups and gender and compare the intakes to the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. Despite the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, the diet of Lebanese adults may be altered away from the typical dietary lipid profile, possibly by the increased consumption of trans fatty acids (TFAs) and the ratio of omega 6 (n-6) to omega 3 (n-3) fatty acids.

This is a cross-sectional survey conducted on 657 Lebanese adults (19-70 years) who completed the USA National Institute of Health diet history questionnaire.

Mean daily energy intake was estimated at 2,900 ± 1,466 kcal in men and 1,977 ± 902 kcal in women. Mean TFA consumption was significantly higher in men than in women (7.2 ± 1.9 and 6.8 ± 2.0 per cent of total fat, p < 0.001) and was at least double the WHO recommendations of 1 per cent of total energy, particularly among younger adults. The n-6 to n-3 fatty acid intake ratio, fluctuated around 9:1 in both genders and in all age groups and is higher than the maximum 5-to-1 ratio recommended by WHO. The mean intake of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid was significantly lower than the latest recommendations (147 ± 182 mg/day for men and 100 ± 155 mg/day for women).

Limited data exists on the quantity and quality of fat consumed among Lebanese adults. In conclusion, this descriptive study estimated the quantity of different fat classes consumed and compared the intakes of critical fatty acids to the WHO recommendations. Future studies need to address the implications of the high intakes of TFA and n-6 to n-3 ratio on health outcomes, including cardiometabolic diseases in our population.

There is increasing interest in the nutritional significance of fish oils, which are rich in omega‐3 fatty acids. Summarizes the background and describes a new product, “Dry n‐3(R)”, which is being used to fortify a number of different foods.

The purpose of this study is to explore the association between intake of different types of dietary fats with breast cancer (BC) risk in Iranian women.

A total of 540 women (180 women with BC and 360 healthy women) were recruited from Shohadaye Tajrish hospital, Tehran, Iran. Data on anthropometric measurements, physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption were collected. The food frequency questionnaire was used to assess the intake of fatty acids including saturated fatty acids, mono unsaturated fatty acids, poly unsaturated fatty acids, macronutrients, total fat, cholesterol, and calorie.

The cases had significantly higher BMI (29.19 ± 3.2 vs 27.27 kg/m2 ± 2.8) and higher intake of calorie (2737 ± 925 vs 2315 ± 1066 kcal/d, P = 0.01), carbohydrate (402 ± 125 vs 312 ± 170 kcal/d, P = 0.01) and ω−6 fatty acids (5.45 ± 6.9 vs 3.39 ± 0.59 g/d, P = 0.001) compared to the control group . Higher consumption of ω−6 fatty acids was related with higher risk of BC (OR = 5.429, CI95%:2.5–11.79, P = 0.001) The association between BC and intake of omega-6 fatty acids remained significant after adjustments for age, BMI, for using alcohol drinks, smoking, physical activity, calorie intake, protein intake and carbohydrate intake.

There are insufficient studies to investigate the association of different types of fatty acids with BC. This study found that higher omega-6 fatty acids intake was associated with increased risk of BC in women.

Cookies were not generally viewed as functional contributors to well-being as they are primarily perceived as confectionery products. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the potential of flaxseed-enriched cookies as carriers of lignans and omega-3 fatty acids – functional compounds that are lacking in the western diet.

An online questionnaire collected data from Croatian consumers (n=1,035). The majority of the samples were women (73 per cent) in the age range 15-65 years (97 per cent). Most participants were employed, had a higher education degree, and lived in urban areas. Questions examined the consumption of cookies and flaxseed, interest for functional cookies, nutritional knowledge, and awareness.

Majority of subjects consumed cookies (93 per cent), while 61 per cent did not eat flaxseed or ate it less than once a month. The consumers showed elevated interest for the functional cookies with flaxseed, among which elderly women with higher nutrition awareness, and nutrition knowledge were the most interested. Functional cookies with flaxseed could be used for delivery of lignans and omega-3 fatty acids in everyday diet, but in order to reach wider range of consumers producers might benefit from employing nutritional educational marketing campaigns.

Data from the study decreased scarcity of information on consumer behaviour related to flaxseed consumption and on potential use of cookies as a functional food. Reported findings will be useful to dieticians, food industry, and food researchers in countries with a high prevalence of cookie consumption.

The purpose of this paper is to review evidence from high-quality randomised controlled trials reporting links between omega-3 enriched functional foods and health.

Using MEDLINE, a search was made for all randomised controlled trials published between 2002 and 2012 that met defined inclusion criteria. Studies had minimum durations of 28 days, clearly stated the food vehicle, dose and type of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC3PUFA) used, and did not include studies where participants only took LC3PUFA supplements.

A total of 11 studies were located, ten of which reported potential health benefits linked to omega-3 functional food consumption. Five studies reported significant improvements in markers of cardiovascular (CV) health, while ten bioavailability studies reported increases in omega-3 blood levels when doses of 460 mg or more were integrated into food vehicles.

In the future a meta-analysis would be useful in terms of determining the dose of LC3PUFA associated with overall health benefits.

The present review concludes that omega-3 enriched functional foods are a useful way to improve LC3PUFA status and have been linked to improved health outcomes, namely markers of CV health. More work is now needed to determine whether particular population groups could benefit from consumption of these foods, for example vegetarians and children, in relation to a range of health outcomes, such as cognitive function.

This review provides evidence that integrating omega-3 enriched functional foods within the daily diet could be an effective strategy for helping to improve LC3PUFA status and attenuating CV disease risk.

Recent research has suggested the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids on kidney function; however, differences in these benefits have not been well-documented with respect to different omega-3 fatty acid sources. Hence, the purpose of this study is to compare the effects of plants, marine sources of omega-3 fatty acids and their combination on biomarkers of renal function in overweight and obese individuals.

Ninety-nine overweight and obese women from a weight loss clinic received three weight-reducing diets with fish (300 g/week), walnuts (18 walnuts/week) or fish + walnuts (150 g fish + 9 walnuts/week) for 12 weeks. Serum biomarkers of renal function were measured at the beginning and the end of the intervention.

After 12 weeks, a reduction in serum creatinine was statistically higher for both the fish + walnut (−0.16 ± 0.09 mg/dL, p = 0.001) and walnut (−0.15 ± 0.05 mg/dL, p = 0.001) diets compared with the fish diet (−0.05 ± 0.04 mg/dL). A significant decrease was seen in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level in the fish + walnut group (−0.12 ± 0.05 mg/dL, p = 0.03) and walnut group (−0.10 ± 0.04 mg/dL, p = 0.03) compared to the fish group (−0.05 ± 0.03 mg/dL). The effect of serum creatinine and BUN in the fish + walnut diet group was relatively higher than in the walnut diet group. Also, a significant difference was observed regarding weight loss in the fish + walnut diet (−7.2 ± 0.9 kg, p = 0.03) compared to in the other groups. The change in other indices was not different among the three diets.

This study found synergistic benefits of the plant and marine omega-3 fatty acids in reducing serum creatinine, BUN and weight compared with isolated marine omega-3s in overweight and obese women.

This study aims to evaluate the knowledge and consumption of healthy foods, respectively, of oils as sources of omega-3 and dietary supplements with omega-3, among a population of young people in the center of Romania. With the objectives of identifying the factors that can influence the consumption of healthy fats and the orientation toward actions to promote less known food resources, in order to diversify the healthy food intake, the long-term improvement of the health-related effects of food.

One of the most important aspects of health is nutrition and its role in reducing the incidence of chronic diseases is supported by scientific data. In this research, the authors analyzed the level of information and the factors determining food choices with particular reference to the consumption of healthy fats and/or supplements from these fats, in order to highlight the behavior of individuals in relation to food. For this purpose, a questionnaire about food and healthy fats (omega-3) consumption and frequency was applied to the food groups of interest, along with other factors pertaining to lifestyle. The questionnaire distributed online mainly included questions related to the consumption of fats and the respondents' knowledge about them. The interest in participating in the study was manifested mainly in the young age segment. The collected data were analyzed statistically was done through Graph Pad Prism ver. 9 software with the establishment of a statistical significance threshold of 0.05.

There is a certain degree of superficiality in the knowledge of the importance and use of foods rich in omega-3. The statistically significant association has been identified both between age and the rules established in the family for observing the schedule of meals and between age and benefiting from an evaluation of the eating behavior. Statistically significant association has also been observed between the level of education and the knowledge on the health benefits of vegetable oils. The statistically significant association was also present between the level of education and the respondents' appreciation of the essential role of eating behavior in disease prevention.

Identifying the consumer profile in relation to their attitude toward healthy foods, especially fats, in order to adapt nutritional interventions with the aim to promote healthy food choices that have an impact on the health of the individual and also of the population.

This study aims to explore the use and relevance of WALYs (well-being-adjusted life years) in light of the utilitarian premises of neoclassical economics that continue to dominate health outcomes evaluation. QALYs (quality-adjusted life years) and DALYs (disability-adjusted life years) measure longevity and quality of life in terms of purely health-related aspects and outcomes of medical interventions. However, evaluative questions of subjective well-being may be equally important in comparing outcomes and cost-effectiveness of these interventions.

A two-phase online search strategy for refereed research on dry eye treatment with omega-3 fatty acids (omega-3s) was adopted. Phase I aimed to identify and contrast clinical parameters of efficacy in omega-3 dietary supplementation. Phase II aimed to find a preference-based, multi-attribute utility instrument specific and sensitive enough to dry eye and its consequences on patients’ subjective well-being. We then illustrate how WALYs can be conceptualized and calculated based on the search results.

Empiric therapies like omega-3s can be assessed in terms of reducing or relieving symptomatic discomfort and pain, and enabling the patient to enjoy life and derive satisfaction from daily activities. We find in VisQoL (Vision and Quality of Life Index) a viable alternative to conventional multi-attribute utility instruments, including those typically used in QALY and DALY calculations. Clinical efficacy indices of dry eye can be linked to VisQoL’s quality of life dimensions. Differently weighted outcomes can be aggregated. And WALYs per patient per year can be computed by scaling aggregated outcomes to match the WALY rating scale. The implications of subjective well-being for both patient and society can thus be approached from a broader and richer perspective.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind in pharmaceutical outcomes valuation and marketing. It offers a framework for analyzing life satisfaction and well-being among dry eye patients under treatment. It is also the first to use and adapt a multi-attribute utility measure to treatment outcomes of omega-3s in ocular diseases, from which this study suggests WALYs may be computed. However, it does not suggest that WALYs should supplant QALYs and DALYs in evaluating health outcomes. Medical economics is enriched if alternative methods of outcomes evaluations can help fill in the gaps in existing paradigms and do so by accounting for other effects of condition-specific interventions. Costs and benefits of interventions to the individual and society can then be valued not just more effectively, but also more equitably.

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.

Deficiencies or imbalances in dietary fat intake may influence on mental and neurological functions of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study aims to compare body mass index (BMI) and the amount of fatty acids intake in the autistic patients with the comparison group.

This case-control was carried out on 200 randomly selected children from 5 to 15 years old (100 autistic patients as the case group and 100 healthy children as the comparison group) in Tehran, Iran. The food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess the intake of calorie, macronutrients and different types of dietary fatty acids including saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), linoleic acid (LA), α-Linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and trans fatty acids.

The autistic patients had higher BMI, birth weight and mother’s BMI compared to the comparison group (All p < 0.01). No significant difference was found in the amount of dietary calorie, protein, carbohydrate and total fat intake between two groups. The risk of ASD was associated with higher intake of MUFAs (OR: 3.18, CI%:1.13–4.56, p = 0.04), PUFAs (OR: 4.12, CI95%: 2.01–6.25, p < 0.01) and LA (OR: 4.76, CI95%: 1.34–14.32, p < 0.01).

The autistic children had higher BMI and higher intake of unsaturated fatty acids except for omega-3 fatty acids. Further longitudinal studies are warranted.