alpha-Linolenic acid and long-chain omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in three patients with omega-3 fatty acid deficiency: effect on lymphocyte function, plasma and red cell lipids, and prostanoid formation

alpha-Linolenic acid deficiency is described in three patients. Observed clinical symptoms were hemorrhagic dermatitis, hemorrhagic folliculitis, skin atrophy, and scaly dermatitis. Supplementation with ethyl alpha-linolenate followed by a purified fish oil (EPA-oil) began to normalize symptoms within 10 d. The mitogenic response in isolated lymphocytes was reduced whereas the number of T lymphocytes increased significantly. Serum thromboxanes, urinary excretion of 2,3-dinor-6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (PGI2-M), and bleeding time were unaffected. The results indicate that omega-3 fatty acids are essential for normal accumulation of erythrocyte omega-6 acids. The dietary intake of long-chain omega-3 acids required to obtain midnormal concentrations of omega-3 acids in plasma and erythrocyte lipids was estimated to be 350-400 mg/d (0.4% of calories), whereas the corresponding mean intake of alpha-linolenic acid was 990 mg/d (1.0% of calories). It is suggested that essential fatty acid requirement should be stated as grams or milligrams per day, similarly to other essential nutrients.     

Predictors of Human Milk Fatty Acids and Associations with Infant Growth in a Norwegian Birth Cohort

Triglyceride-bound fatty acids constitute the majority of lipids in human milk and may affect infant growth. We describe the composition of fatty acids in human milk, identify predictors, and investigate associations between fatty acids and infant growth using data from the Norwegian Human Milk Study birth cohort. In a subset of participants (n = 789, 30% of cohort), oversampled for overweight and obesity, we analyzed milk concentrations of detectable fatty acids. We modelled percent composition of fatty acids in relation to maternal body mass index, pregnancy weight gain, parity, smoking, delivery mode, gestational age, fish intake, and cod liver oil intake. We assessed the relation between fatty acids and infant growth from 0 to 6 months. Of the factors tested, excess pregnancy weight gain was positively associated with monounsaturated fatty acids and inversely associated with stearic acid. Multiparity was negatively associated with monounsaturated fatty acids and n-3 fatty acids while positively associated with stearic acid. Gestational age was inversely associated with myristic acid. Medium-chain saturated fatty acids were inversely associated with infant growth, and mono-unsaturated fatty acids, particularly oleic acid, were associated with an increased odds of rapid growth. Notably, excessive maternal weight gain was associated with cis-vaccenic acid, which was further associated with a threefold increased risk of rapid infant growth (OR = 2.9, 95% CI 1.2–6.6), suggesting that monounsaturated fatty acids in milk may play a role in the intergenerational transmission of obesity.     

Analysis of macrocomponents and fatty acids in the market basket of male adolescents in The Netherlands

During a period of 2 1/2 years, every 3 months 221 different food items forming a "market basket" were purchased, prepared, and classified into 23 food commodity groups. The "market basket" was based on a study of the dietary intake of 18-year-old men. In the (homogenized) food groups, the contents of protein, fat, and available carbohydrates were determined as well as the fatty acid composition. The mean daily amounts of the macrocomponents (as a percentage of the mean daily energy value of the total diet) were 14% for protein, 35% for fat, 47% for total available carbohydrates, and 4% for alcohol. The total diet contained 24 gm dietary fiber. The fatty acid composition of the Dutch male adolescents' diet resembles the fatty acid composition of the Dutch "national diet" and the typical American diet: approximately 15% of total calories as saturated fatty acids, 5% as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and a polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids ratio of 0.33. The results, as compared with the recommendations for a healthy diet, show that a decreased consumption of saturated fat, a higher consumption of PUFA, a higher dietary fiber intake, and a higher consumption of complex carbohydrates would be advisable for male Dutch adolescents.     

Essential fatty acid deficiency in patients receiving simultaneous parenteral and oral nutrition

Essential fatty acid deficiency is a common finding in patients nourished parenterally with hypertonic glucose and amino acids. In this study, we measured the linoleate concentration in the livers of 3 groups of patients. All the patients had operable upper gastrointestinal tract malignancies. Group I ate the hospital's regular diet ad libitum. Group II were given total parenteral nutrition (TPN), Group III received both enteral and parenteral nutrition and obtained about 35% of their caloric intake from food. The percentage of total liver fatty acids as linoleate were group I, 15.2 +/- 1.2%, group II, 3.7 +/- 1.4%, and group III, 2.8 +/- 1.6%. Data are expressed as the mean +/- 1 SEM. The patients who received 35% of their calories by mouth as food and the patients on TPN were found to be equally depleted in linoleate.     

Using a personal digital assistant for self-monitoring influences diet quality in comparison to a standard paper record among overweight/obese adults

Self-monitoring has traditionally been done using a paper record, which can be tedious and burdensome. A personal digital assistant (PDA) with dietary software can provide an alternative to a paper record. The study aimed to describe the differences in dietary changes at 6 months between participants randomly assigned to use a paper record or PDA for self-monitoring in a clinical trial of weight-loss treatment. Self-monitoring adherence and changes in weight and diet were assessed between 2006 and 2009. The sample (n=192) was 84% female and 78% white, with a mean age of 49 years and body mass index (calculated as kg/m²) of 34.1. At baseline, the groups did not differ in energy intake, percent calories from fat, and number of servings of the examined food groups. At 6 months, both groups had significant reductions in weight, energy intake, and percent calories from total fat and saturated fatty acids (P<0.001); no between-group differences were found. Compared to the paper record group, the PDA group significantly increased consumption of fruit (P=0.02) and vegetables (P=0.04) and decreased consumption of refined grains (P=0.02). Interactions among self-monitoring and the two groups were found in relation to changes in percent calories from total fat (P=0.02), monounsaturated fatty acids (P=0.002), and trans-fatty acids (P=0.04). Frequent self-monitoring was significantly associated with total sugar (P=0.02) and added sugar (P=0.01) intake in both groups. Our findings suggest that use of a PDA for self-monitoring might improve self-awareness of behavior and dietary changes.     

Polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in human hindmilk are stable throughout 12-months of lactation and provide a sustained intake to the infant during exclusive breastfeeding: an Italian study

While a wealth of data on the fatty acid composition of mature human milk has been published, limited information is available on the quantities of individual fatty acids supplied to the suckling infant with maternal milk, through the whole first year of life. Our aim was to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the fatty acid composition of human milk from Italian mothers, throughout extended lactation with particular emphasis on the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. We have thus measured the total fat content and the concentrations of major fatty acids by quantitative GLC in pooled breast hindmilk collected from all feedings over 24 h at colostrum, 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months in ten mothers recruited after delivery of full-term infants. Total saturated fatty acids progressively increase and total monounsaturated progressively decrease as percentage levels, while among long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, percentages of arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid decrease from colostrum up to the third month. Hindmilk total lipids (mg/dl) rise more than twofold up to 3 months, and then remain stable. The amounts (mg/dl) of linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid progressively increase, following the trend of total fat, while arachidonic and docosahexaenoic concentrations (mg/dl) remain stable throughout the whole nursing period. Assessment of the intakes per kg body weight shows different trends for the individual major long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids supplied to the infant from hindmilk during exclusive breast-feeding (3 months). This information may be useful for the evaluation of infant intakes during extended lactation.     

Metabolic utilization of linoleic acid from fat emulsion in infants during total parenteral nutrition

The metabolic utilization of linoleic acid (C18:2w6) from intravenous (iv) soybean oil emulsion via its conversion to higher homologues and prostaglandin biosynthesis was studied in 21 infants. The infants were of normal birth weight, in good clinical and metabolic condition, and aged from 1-4 months. They all received total parenteral nutrition after birth for more than 1 month; the only lipid was provided by iv Intralipid 20%, at levels approximating 350 mg/kg/24 h of linoleic acid (2.5% of the infants' total daily energy intake). Study of the fatty acids of plasma and erythrocyte phospholipids in these infants, compared to healthy controls of the same age (N = 26), showed that 350 mg/kg/24 hr of C18:2w6 supply resulted in normalization of erythrocyte phospholipid fatty acid distribution. This was particularly true of the higher homologues of C18:2w6 (C18:3w6, C20:3w6, and C20:4w6). This suggested that delta 6 and delta 5 desaturation activities are normal in these conditions with this C18:2w6 supply. These results were confirmed by the study of 24-hr urinary excretion of prostaglandins PGE1 and PGE2. With 350 mg/kg/24 hr of C18:2w6 supply their urinary levels were not significantly different from those observed in normal children of the same age receiving an equivalent oral C18:2w6 intake.     

Effect of low and high fat diets on nutrient intakes and selected cardiovascular risk factors in sedentary men and women

OBJECTIVE: The desired level of dietary fat intake is controversial. The effect of decreasing fat intake to 19% and increasing it to 50% from a control diet of 30% on nutritional status and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy individuals was studied. METHODS: Eleven healthy subjects (5 men and 6 women) were randomized to consume diets with 19% and 50% calories from fat. Each diet lasted 3 weeks, with a one-week washout. The habitual and washout diets were determined to be 30% fat. At the beginning and the end of each diet, fasting blood was collected to determine plasma lipoproteins, and physiological factors were measured. RESULTS: Total caloric expenditure was similarly balanced to intake on the 30% and 50% fat diets, but intake was significantly lower on the 19% fat diet and led to a loss of 0.6 kg body weight. Consumptions of essential fatty acids, vitamin E and zinc were improved with increased fat intake, but folate intake was compromised on the 30% and 50% fat diets. Compared with the 50% fat diet, subjects consuming the 19% fat diet had significantly lower HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) (54 +/- 3 vs. 63 +/- 3 mg. dL(-1), p < 0.05) and apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) (118 +/- 4 vs. 127 +/- 3 mg/dL, p < 0.05). Changing the levels of fat intake did not affect % body fat, heart rate, blood pressure, blood triglycerides, total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B (ApoB), TC/HDL-C and ApoA1/ApoB ratios. CONCLUSION: A low fat diet (19%) may not provide sufficient calories, essential fatty acids, and some micronutrients (especially vitamin E and zinc) for healthy untrained individuals, and it also lowered ApoA1 and HDL-C. Increasing fat intake to 50% of calories improved nutritional status, and did not negatively affect certain cardiovascular risk factors.     

Dietary trans fatty acid intake and serum lipid profile in Japanese-Brazilians in Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil

This study describes the contribution of changes in trans fatty acid intake in relation to serum lipoproteins. A total of 328 Japanese-Brazilians of the first (Issei) and second (Nisei) generations, aged 40-79 years in 1993, were assessed in two cross-sectional surveys on health and nutritional status in 1993 and 2000. Multiple linear regression models were used with changes (2000/ 1993) in serum lipoproteins as the dependent variable and changes in dietary trans fatty acids (adjusted for total calories) as independent variable. In both genders a significant reduction was observed in total intake of trans fatty acids with lower LDL and increased HDL serum levels during 7-year follow-up. The mean intakes of trans fatty acids (% of total energy) in 1993 and 2000 were: 5.1% and 3.4% for women and 4.7% and 3.3% for men, respectively. Although the association between changes in dietary trans fatty acids and serum lipoprotein was not statistically significant, on average the intake of this trans fat was higher than the WHO recommendation (up to 1% of total energy).     

The effects of lactation on energy and protein consumption,postpartum weight change and body compostion of well nourished North American women

We examined the effect of lactation on the diet, anthropametric measurements and body composition of 27 well-nourished women during their first 3 postpartum months. “Percent lactation” was estimated for each woman by constructing a scale between 100% lactation (solely breast-feeding) and 0% lactation (solely bottle-feeding) based on the amount of non-breast milk calories fed to her infant. At 12 days postpartum women weighed 6.0±4.0 kg above prepregnancy weight. They lost 2.0±2.4 kg during the 3 subsequent months on calorie intakes that averaged 2178±541 kcal/day. Anthropometric measurements decreased at sites on the trunk but not on the limbs. No changes in 24-hour urinary creatinine excretion (a reflection of lean body mass) were detected. Weight loss increased as calorie intake decreased (r=0.55, p<0.005). However, percent lactation was correlated with calorie intake (r=0.37, p<0.05) so that women who lactated the most had the highest calorie intake and lost the smallest amount of weight. Of the total variance in weight change, 21% was explained by calorie intake, 10% by percent lactation, and 8% by percent ideal weight-for-height. We suggest that breast feeding does not promote weight loss in well-nourished women, and that the RDAs for energy in lactation may be too high.     

Modification of rat platelet fatty acid composition by dietary lipids of animal and vegetable origin

There were no statistically significant differences in final body weight or in food intake among groups of rats fed for 7 wk various fats of animal origin (lard fat and cod liver oil) or vegetable origin (corn, soybean and canola oils); the fats were fed as 10% of the diet (by wt) and were of varied fatty acid composition. Nevertheless, the mean weights of the kidneys from cod liver oil-fed animals were significantly higher than those of all other dietary groups. Platelets of rats from the groups receiving the animal fat contained significantly lower levels of linoleic acid, 18:2(n-6) [a precursor of arachidonic acid, 20:4(n-6)], than did platelets from rats receiving the fat of vegetable origin. Although the soybean-, canola- and cod liver oil-fed animals received substantial quantities of (n-3) fatty acids [alpha-linolenic acid, 18:3(n-3); eicosapentaenoic acid, 20:5(n-3); and docosahexaenoic acid, 22:6(n-3)], only the platelets of the latter two groups contained detectable levels of these fatty acids along with their products of elongation/desaturation/retroconversion. Platelets of the cod liver oil-fed group contained significantly less arachidonic acid, a major precursor of eicosanoids, than did those from all other dietary groups. However, platelet arachidonic levels also varied markedly among the other dietary groups. Diet-induced fatty acid changes observed in platelets of various dietary groups may influence platelet responses, including secretion, aggregation and biosynthesis of eicosanoids.     

Researches on the physiopathologic effects of rapeseed oil with high and low erucic acid content]

The physiopathological effects were studied of a common high erucic acid rapeseed oil as well as of Janpol, a low erucic acid oil produced of a rapeseed variety selected in Poland. Its erucic acid content equals 2.8% of total fatty acids. The studies were carried out on white male Wistar rats, 25 days old at the beginning of experiment. These animals were divided into 6 groups fed the diets in which 10 or 20% of kcal well supplied either by high erucic acid rapeseed oil, by Janpol rapeseed oil, or by the sunflower oil. The experiment lasted 6 months. Following parameters were determined: increase in body weight, the weight of selected organs, blood serum alkaline phosphatase and pseudocholinesterase activities, blood serum cholesterol and triglycerides level, the content of corticosterone in the adrenal glands and blood plasma. The liver was studied histochemically for the activity of acid and alkaline phosphatases and of ATP-ase, as well as for the presence of lipids. Morphological studies of the myocardium comprised macroscopic, histological and electron microscopic investigation. The low erucic acid rapeseed oil Janpol seems to evoke less disturbances than the high erucic acid one. Supplied in the amount corresponding to 10% of total calories intake the former exerts the effect on the biochemical and morphological parameters similar to that of sunflower oil. It can be thus assumed that the low erucic acid rapeseed oil Janpol can be used in the feeding of man when served in the amount lower than 10% of total calories.     

Intravascular metabolism of different fatty acids during lipid infusion in man

The differential intravascular metabolism of individual fatty acids contained in triacylglycerol-rich particles was studied by infusing 6 normal subjects for 5h with a conventional soy-based emulsion and an experimental olive oil-based emulsion. Both emulsions contained similar amounts of palmitate (11%) and stearate (3-4%) but the former was quite rich in linoleate (54%) and alpha-linolenate (7%), while the latter was rich in oleate (69%). During hydrolysis of circulating triacylglycerols by endothelial lipases, the associated rise of non-esterified fatty acids (FFA) in plasma represents the balance between fatty acid release and tissue uptake. Plasma levels of triacylglycerols and FFA increased about 3 fold and total body fat oxidation was raised to similar values with both emulsions. Fatty acid pattern quickly changed in plasma triacylglycerols to resemble the composition of emulsion particles, with an exception for palmitate which increased markedly more, suggesting a high level of hepatic re-esterification and re-appearance in nascent very low density lipoprotein triglycerides (VLDL-TG) secreted into the circulation. In plasma FFA, stearate and palmitate increased more and alpha-linolenate much less than expected from their content in the emulsion, indicating probably low tissue uptake for the former ones but avid removal for the latter.     

The effect of coffee consumption on plasma lipids, lipoproteins, and the development of aortic atherosclerosis in rhesus monkeys fed an atherogenic diet.

Rhesus monkeys (seven females and six males) were fed ad libitum a diet comparable to that consumed by humans, containing 25% by weight fat (40% of calories) and 0.15% cholesterol (0.3 mg/kcal) for 12 months (phase 1). From the 13th month all monkeys were continued on the diet while four females and three males were given 50% coffee as their fluid intake and the remainder were water controls (phase 2). Major changes in total plasma lipids and lipoprotein profiles occurred within 3 months and generally plateaued thereafter. Total plasma protein remained constant while total plasma cholesterol, phospholipids, triglycerides, and free fatty acid levels increased. After the initiation of coffee, there was no difference between the diet-water group and the diet-coffee group with respect to total protein and lipids in plasma. Total concentrations of plasma lipoproteins varied throughout the study. The pre-beta (very low density lipoproteins) fraction remained constant while the beta (low density lipoprotein) and alpha (high density lipoprotein) fractions, along with their major components, increased within 3 to 6 months, then fluctuated in absolute weight thereafter. The introduction of 50% coffee was without effect on the dynamic changes in these fractions as fluctuations were found in both groups and to the same magnitude. This leads the authors to suspect that such variations are "normal" or are in response to the diet per se. The atherogenic diet induced fatty streaks in the aortas of all monkeys to a greater extent in males than females. However, there were no gross differences in the quantity or distribution of the streaks between control and coffee-drinking monkeys.     

Food safety and health effects of canola oil

Canola oil is a newly marketed vegetable oil for use in salads and for cooking that contains 55% of the monounsaturated fatty acid; oleic acid, 25% linoleic acid and 10% alpha-linolenate [polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)], and only 4% of the saturated fatty acids (SFAs) that have been implicated as factors in hypercholesterolemia. It is expressed from a cultivar of rapeseed that was selectively bred from old varieties in Canada to be very low in erucic acid--a fatty acid suspected to have pathogenic potential in diets high in the original rapeseed oil in experimental animals. Canola oil is free of those problems. It is the most widely consumed food oil in Canada, and has been approved for Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The fatty acid composition of canola oil is consistent with its use as a substitute for SFAs, in meeting the dietary goals recommended by many health associations: an average diet containing about 30% of calories as fat made up of less than 10% SFAs, 8-10% PUFAs in a ratio of linoleic to linolenic acids between 4:1 and 10:1, the remainder being monounsaturated fatty acids. No single oil meets these current recommendations for ratios of PUFA/monounsaturated/polyunsaturated fatty acid ratios as the sole source of cooking and salad oil.     

Foods predictive of nutrient intake in Chinese diet in Taiwan: I. Total calories, protein, fat and fatty acids.

Dietary consumption data obtained by food weighing for 539 households in Taiwan in 1980-1981 were used to search for foods predictive of nutrient intake. The average per capita nutrient intake in each household was calculated for total calories, protein, fat and fatty acids (saturated fatty acids, oleic acid and unsaturated fatty acids). Stepwise multiple regression analysis was carried out to reveal the relative importance of each of 405 food items in the dietary survey data for predicting nutrient intake. We found that as few as seven to 20 food items could account for a large proportion of the variability of macronutrient intake in this population. These lists of foods were the minimum needed to categorize an individual's nutrient intake for epidemiological studies in Taiwan. The types and amounts of cooking oils (important predictors of fat and calories) added to the dishes were found to vary from family to family, and should be considered in designing dietary questionnaires for Chinese in other societies.     

n-3 Essential fatty acids decrease weight gain in genetically obese mice

1. Lean (ln/ln) and obese (ob/ob) mice were given diets containing a fat source of 100 g evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) oil (fatty acids 18:2n-6, 18:3n-6; EPO) or 100 g cod liver oil (20:5n-3, 22:6n-3; CLO)/kg diet. 2. Weight gain was lower in the ob/ob mice fed on CLO, an effect unrelated to food intake. 3. In the ob/ob mice fed on CLO, thromboxane synthesis by clotting platelets was reduced compared with that in ob/ob mice fed on EPO. 4. The ob/ob CLO-fed mice had lower arachidonic acid but higher levels of n-3 fatty acids in liver, brown adipose tissue and white adipose tissue. 5. The n-3 fatty acids in CLO therefore replaced the n-6 fatty acids in tissue lipids and reduced synthesis of '2 series' prostaglandins in addition to causing lower weight gain in the CLO-fed ob/ob mice.     

Trends in fatty acid intakes of 10-year-old children, 1973 to 1982

Diets of four groups of 10-year-old children (no. = 871, 30% black, 70% white) were examined over 10 years with 24-hour dietary recalls to study temporal trends in cholesterol, fat, and fatty acid intakes in a community. Boys had higher intakes per day and per kilogram body weight than girls for all nutrients (p less than .0001), but there were no sex differences in nutrients per 1,000 kcal. The only racial difference detected was a higher myristic acid intake in whites (p less than .02). There was a 16% decline in dietary cholesterol intake between 1978 and 1982. Three shifts in fatty acid intake increased the P:S ratio from 0.29 in 1973 to 0.45 in 1978: (a) a 5% decline in oleic acid, coupled with a 5% rise in linoleic acid; (b) a quadrupling of linolenic acid; and (c) less stearic and more myristic acid, with palmitic acid unchanged. Total fat intake provided 38% of the calories in each survey, but the changes in proportions of fatty acids paralleled trends in food consumption patterns and nutrient sources. Despite the changes, few children met prudent diet recommendations, and serum total cholesterol and very-low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol levels did not change over time.     

Studies on the quality of breast milk during 23 months of lactation in a rural community of the Ivory Coast.

Milk samples from 33 women from a rural area of the Ivory Coast were analyzed once a month. In two longitudinal studies covering 23 months of breast feeding, analyses of lipid components and protein were performed. The compositions remained virtually constant over 23 months of lactation except for a decrease of protein concentration during the first 6 months, a rising trend of myristic acid (14:0) and a falling trend of oleic acid (18:1). Infants were growing well on breast milk with nothing else for the first 5 months, but thereafter their growth curves were no longer satisfactory as judged by Western standards: weight for age (percentage of Harvard standards) decreased from 5 to 10 months of age to level off thereafter at a value of 80%. The mothers' weight for height remained constant. In a cross-sectional study, additional determinations were performed: aminograms, lactose, calories, iron, copper, manganese, zinc, and vitamin E. All data were compared with those of the literature. Lauric (12:0) and myristic (14:0) acids were higher, total lipids and polyunsaturated fatty acids lower than those published for Western countries. Plasma composition of the mothers showed lower levels of albumin, lipids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as blood hemoglobin. Possible correlations between various variables such as milk composition, plasma levels, and anthropometry were calculated and discussed.     

Food safety and health effects of canola oil.

Canola oil is a newly marketed vegetable oil for use in salads and for cooking that contains 55% of the monounsaturated fatty acid; oleic acid, 25% linoleic acid and 10% alpha-linolenate [polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)], and only 4% of the saturated fatty acids (SFAs) that have been implicated as factors in hypercholesterolemia. It is expressed from a cultivar of rapeseed that was selectively bred from old varieties in Canada to be very low in erucic acid–a fatty acid suspected to have pathogenic potential in diets high in the original rapeseed oil in experimental animals. Canola oil is free of those problems. It is the most widely consumed food oil in Canada, and has been approved for Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The fatty acid composition of canola oil is consistent with its use as a substitute for SFAs, in meeting the dietary goals recommended by many health associations: an average diet containing about 30% of calories as fat made up of less than 10% SFAs, 8-10% PUFAs in a ratio of linoleic to linolenic acids between 4:1 and 10:1, the remainder being monounsaturated fatty acids. No single oil meets these current recommendations for ratios of PUFA/monounsaturated/polyunsaturated fatty acid ratios as the sole source of cooking and salad oil.