Fatty Acids: Physiologic and Behavioral Functions

edited by David I Mostofsky, Shlomo Yehuda, and Norman Salem, Jr, 2001, 435 pages, hardcover, $165.00. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ.

Centre for Nutrition Research BC Research Institute for Children's and Women's Health Department of Pediatrics University of British Columbia 950 West 28th Avenue Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4H4 Canada E-mail: sinnis{at}interchange.ubc.ca

The n-6 and n-3 fatty acids are essential in normal physiology and metabolism through their role in membrane structural lipids, signal transduction pathways, eicosanoids metabolism, and regulation of nuclear events that lead to altered gene expression. This book, the ninth volume in a nutrition and health series, aims to provide an in-depth review of the physiologic and behavioral effects of fatty acids through chapters written by researchers expert in the field. The book contains 21 chapters and is divided into 5 parts: "Basic Mechanisms," "Phospholipid and Fatty Acid Composition and Metabolism," "DHA and CNS Development," "Pathology," and "Psychiatry and Behavior." The greater portion of the book is devoted to the n-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid, the role of this fatty acid in neural membranes, and its effects on the central nervous system. In many chapters, the authors provide an in-depth review of their own work, whereas in others, particularly in the concluding section, "Psychiatry and Behavior," the authors provide an overview of an emerging and important field of research on fatty acids. The book is timely considering the interest in the scientific literature and lay press on the possible effects of dietary essential fatty acids on the visual and cognitive development of infants and on certain psychiatric disorders.

The initial chapters on modulation of receptor signaling and the role of docosahexaenoic acid in membrane structure and function provide comprehensive overviews of current research that provide an excellent introduction to the remainder of the book. Many of the subsequent chapters, which discuss some of the newer techniques for studying fatty acid metabolism and the implications of altered metabolism in certain disorders, are scholarly works that embrace the most recent information in the field. As in many multiauthored books, there is some inconsistency and repetition across the chapters of this book. A final chapter containing conclusions about dietary recommendations, public health implications, clinical practices, and future research would have been beneficial.

The book is likely to be too specialized for use as a textbook in clinical nutrition because it provides in-depth discussions of the role of docosahexaenoic acid in membrane structure and function in the central nervous system in many chapters but little information on the role of fatty acids in many other areas of health and disease. The book, however, does contain excellent reference material and topical and important discussions. I highly recommend the book for biomedical researchers and trainees interested in the field of essential fatty acids and in cell function at the molecular, biochemical, and functional levels.