Year 2000 NIH Workshop Information Videocasts

       A workshop, ESSENTIAL FATS IN FOODS, was held at NIH on March 20, 2000 to discuss essential fatty acids and eicosanoids in human health and the impact of voluntary food choices. The six lectures of the workshop can be viewed through the NIH Videocasting URL: http://videocast.nih.gov/PastEvents.asp? A free version of RealPlayer 7 Basic can be downloaded to your computer from the following URL: http://proforma.real.com/real/player/player.html

Overview of essential fatty acids in health and disease
This talk notes how populations around the world have maintained certain food supplies in their surrounding ecosystem and neglected others without considering the resulting impact on eicosanoid functions in their body. Informed food choices can supply the essential fatty acids that keep a balanced supply of eicosanoid precursors within the body to maintain balanced omega-6 and omega-3 eicosanoid responses of the body's inner ecosystem. Bill Lands, Ph.D., Senior Advisor, NIAAA, NIH http://videocast.nih.gov/ram/crii01c103202000.ram


Essential fatty acids- different chain lengths and metabolism
This is a primer on the structure and nomenclature for fatty acids for the non-specialist. It describes the chemistry and metabolism of omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids to help people understand their nature in the context of more widely discussed saturated and unsaturated fats. The 18-carbon essential fatty acids can be metabolized to 20-carbon and 22-carbon forms that have different distributions in tissue membranes and have very different impacts on eicosanoid formation. Norman Salem, Ph.D., Chief, Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, NIAAA, NIH http://videocast.nih.gov/ram/crii01c203202000.ram

Eicosanoid formation, receptor functions, and clinical relevance
The talk describes the diversity of different eicosanoids that the body forms from the 20-carbon omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids. This diverse set of hormone-like agents acts through different receptors on tissues to regulate many different body responses in health and disease. William L. Smith, Ph.D., Professor and Chairman of Biochemistry, Michigan State Universityhttp://videocast.nih.gov/ram/crii01c303202000.ram


Essential fats in foods
This describes the amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids present in many different foods currently consumed during typical food choices by the USA population. The talk presents food sources to help plan diets that meet target levels of omega-3 fatty acid intakes. Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., R.D., Professor of Nutrition, Pennsylvania State University http://videocast.nih.gov/ram/crii02c103202000.ram


An overview of functional foods
The talk addresses what people mean by the terms functional foods, designer foods, nutraceuticals, and medicinal foods. Surveys different functional foods from the viewpoint of their presumed bioactive, functional components and alternatively lists those foods that have the most abundant supply of some desired functional components. Jean Pennington, Ph.D., R.D., Research Nutritionist, DNRC, NIH http://videocast.nih.gov/ram/crii02c203202000.ram

Differences between preventive nutrition and therapeutic intervention
This talk describes principles involved in prevention and treatment interventions and notes the limitations in the types of evidence provided for forming personal decisions. Results from several large diet therapy trials are reviewed to show benefits from selected diet interventions. There is definitive evidence that eating omega-3 fats decrease cardiovascular deaths. Frank M. Sacks, M.D., Professor, School of Public Health, Harvard University http://videocast.nih.gov/ram/crii02c303202000.ram