Omega-3 polyunsatured fatty acids and health: a mini-review of current knowledge.

The influence of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on health is to-day a matter which has spread out of the scientific community: health claims, not always justified, are made about foods or supplements containing or enriched in omega-3 fatty acids. Research on omega-3 fatty acids and health were started about thirty years ago by the discovery of their implication in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Since then, an increasing amount of works have extended the interest born to omega-3 fatty acids to many aspects of human health. This review is an overview of recent research and recent results on this topic, prioritizing works made in humans. On the basis of recent reviews and original works, it will be successively discussed of their biosynthesis and its nutritional consequences, of their intake levels in the French population, of the needs of the gestating and lactating women and of the newborn, and of the proven or possible effects of these fatty acids on inflammatory diseases, insulin resistance, diabetes and obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, mental health and neurodegenerative diseases.