Overview of the current status of genetically modified plants in Europe as compared to the USA

Genetically modified crops have been tested in 1,726 experimental releases in the EU member states and in 7,815 experimental releases in the USA. The global commercial cultivation area of genetically modified crops is likely to reach 50 million hectares in 2001, however, the commercial production of genetically modified crops in the EU amounts to only a few thousand hectares and accounts for only some 0.03% of the world production. A significant gap exists between the more than fifty genetically modified crop species already permitted to be cultivated and to be placed on the market in the USA, Canada and other countries and the five genetically modified crop species permitted for the same use in the EU member states, which are still pending inclusion in the Common Catalogue of agricultural plant species. The further development of the "green gene technology" in the EU will be a matter of public acceptance and administrative legislation.     

Third EU report on the statistics on animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes: trends, problems, conclusions

A brief overview is given of the data published in the third report on the number of animals used for scientific purposes in the European Union (EU), in 1999. In comparison to the second EU statistical report, the meaningfulness of the data has been greatly improved, since 14 EU Member States have now used the "EU tables". Even though the total number of animals officially reported in the EU for 1999 (9.81 million animals) is lower than the number reported for 1996 in the second report (11.65 million animals), an increase in animal numbers was observed in several Member States. Repeatedly, the use of transgenic animals was considered to be the cause for this. Most national authorities provided some comments on the data they submitted. However, the quality of these accompanying notes varies considerably, with the comments provided by The Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Austria, Denmark and the United Kingdom containing the most-detailed remarks on their data.     

Increased beef consumption increases apolipoprotein A-I but not serum cholesterol of mildly hypercholesterolemic men with different levels of habitual beef intake

The objective of this research was to compare the effects of a lean beef enriched in oleic acid to a beef that is typical of the commercial beef consumed in the United States. Ten mildly hypercholesterolemic men, ages 34-58 years old, were selected from the Texas A&M University faculty and staff. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two diets for a 6-week duration followed by a crossover after a 4-week habitual diet washout period. Diets were consumed daily for a 6-week study period. Participants substituted lean beef obtained from Wagyu bullocks or commercial beef for the meat typically consumed. Total cholesterol, apolipoproteins A-I and B, triacylglycerols, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were measured in serum samples collected weekly. Beef type had no effect on any measured variable. There were no significant differences between baseline HDL or LDL cholesterol concentrations after the consumption of the beef test diets. Apolipoprotein A-I, serum glucose, and uric acid concentrations were elevated by the additional dietary beef. Analysis of records of customary diets indicated that one group consumed 160 g of beef daily, whereas the other group consumed only 26 g of beef daily. Therefore, post hoc analyses tested the habitual beef intake x treatment time interaction. LDL cholesterol concentration was markedly higher in the group with low habitual beef intake (180 vs 144 mg/dl), and HDL cholesterol was slightly higher (44 vs 40 mg/dl; post-test values) than for the group with high habitual beef intake, but there were no habitual intake x time interactions for LDL or HDL cholesterol. Creatinine and blood urea nitrogen concentrations also were greater in the individuals habitually consuming less beef. This study had three important findings: i) a lean beef source enriched with oleic acid was no different from commercial beef in its effect on lipoprotein fractions; ii) neither previous level of beef intake nor baseline LDL cholesterol concentration influenced the serum cholesterol response to added dietary beef, which was negative; and iii) apolipoprotein A-I, but not HDL or LDL cholesterol, was sensitive to the additional dietary beef.     

Methods for Assessment of Dietary Lead Exposure of the Inner-City Population

Abstract

Assessment of dietary lead exposure of individuals begins with the determination of food and beverage intake by the individuals, and concludes with an evaluation of the lead content of the foods and beverages consumed. Of several techniques available for assessment of dietary intake, the 24-hour food recall is recommended as the method of choice for assessing current dietary lead intakes in inner-city populations. The three-day food record can be used among cooperative and motivated subjects, while the dietary history method is available for assessing long-term intakes in the past. The unavailability of lead content values of a large number of foods will to a large extent restrict the use of these methods in large-scale dietary lead exposure studies. Until the time that such data becomes available, the most accurate estimates of lead intake can be provided by chemical analysis of duplicate samples of foods consumed, as is currently done. However, this method is feasible only for small samples.     

Lipoprotein lipase and lipogenic enzyme activities in adipose tissue from rats fed different lipid sources

This work was designed to study the effect of different lipid sources on the activities of lipoprotein lipase and lipogenic enzymes in adipose tissue from rats fedad libitum or energy-controlled diets. Male Wistar rats were fed diets containing 40% of energy as fat (olive oil, sunflower oil, palm oil or beef tallow), for 4 wk. Underad libitum feeding no differences were found among dietary fat groups in final body weight, adipose tissue weights and total body fat. Under energy-controlled feeding, despite isoenergetic intake, rats fed the beef tallow diet gained significantly less weight than rats fed the other three diets. Beef tallow fed rats showed the lowest values for adipose tissue weights and total body fat. When rats had free access to food no effect of dietary lipid source on lipogenic enzyme activities was found. In contrast, under energy-controlled feeding rats fed the beef tallow diet showed significantly higher activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and fatty acid synthase than rats fed the other three diets. Heparin-releasable lipoprotein lipase activity in perirenal and subcutaneous adipose tissues was not different among rats fed olive oil, safflower oil, palm oil or beef tallow. When comparing both adipose tissue anatomical locations, significantly higher activities were found in subcutaneous than in perirenal fat pad independently of dietary fat. In conclusion, under our experimental protocol, lipogenesis in rat adipose tissue does not seem to be affected by dietary fat type.     

Dairy cattle production in Europe

The European Union (EU) is a major player on world markets for most dairy products and produces the largest single share of the global market. Dairying is one of the most profitable sectors of EU agriculture. Milk yields per cow have increased steadily in every member state between 1985 and 1997. Overall EU dairy production continues to follow a trend towards increased intensification on a smaller number of larger, more specialised production units. In this paper we highlight the main characteristics of dairy cattle production in the EU, as well as their impact on cow and herd reproductive performances. AI is widely used in areas where there is high input:high output farming and farmers' primary objective is to have each cow produce a calf every 12 months without any particular calving pattern. The use of embryo technologies is increasing and in some areas (e.g. IVP embryo transfers) Europe leads the world. In most areas of Europe, because of both year round calving and ethical or consumer concerns, hormones are mainly used to treat reproductive diseases and not for pharmaceutical control of breeding.     

Comparison of regulatory pathways for the approval of advanced therapies in the European Union and the United States

Background aimsRegulatory agencies in the European Union (EU) and in the United States of America (USA) have adapted and launched regulatory pathways to accelerate patient access to innovative therapies, such as advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). The aim of this study is to analyze similarities and differences between regulatory pathways followed by the approved ATMPs in both regions.MethodsA retrospective analysis of the ATMPs approved by EU and US regulatory agencies was carried out until May 31, 2020. Data were collected on the features and timing of orphan drug designation (ODD), scientific advice (SA), expedited program designation (EP), marketing authorization application (MAA) and marketing authorization (MA) for both regions.ResultsIn the EU, a total of fifteen ATMPs were approved (eight gene therapies, three somatic cell therapies, three tissue-engineered products and one combined ATMP), whereas in the USA, a total of nine were approved (five gene therapies and four cell therapies); seven of these were authorized in both regions. No statistical differences were found in the mean time between having the ODD or EP granted and the start of the pivotal clinical trial or MAA in the EU and USA, although the USA required less time for MAA assessment than the EU (mean difference, 5.44, P = 0.012). The MAA assessment was shorter for those products with a PRIME or breakthrough designation.. No differences were found in the percentage of ATMPs with expedited MAA assessment between the EU and the USA (33.3% versus 55.5%, respectively, P = 0.285) or in the time required for the MAA expedited review (mean difference 4.41, P = 0.105). Approximately half of the products in both regions required an Advisory Committee during the MAA review, and 60% required an oral explanation in the EU. More than half of the approved ATMPs (67% and 55.55% in the EU and the USA, respectively) were granted an ODD, 70% by submitting preliminary clinical data in the EU. The mean number of SA and protocol assistance per product conducted by the European Medicines Agency was 1.71 and 3.75, respectively, and only 13% included parallel advice with health technology assessment bodies. A total of 53.33% of the products conducted the first SA after the pivotal clinical study had started, reporting more protocol amendments. Finally, of the seven ATMPs authorized in both regions, the type of MA differed for only two ATMPs (28.6%), and four out of eight products non-commercialized in the USA had a non-standard MA in the EU.ConclusionsThe current approved ATMPs mainly target orphan diseases. Although EU and US regulatory procedures may differ, the main regulatory milestones reached by the approved ATMPs are similar in both regions, with the exception of the time for MAA evaluation, the number of authorized products in the regions and the type of authorization for some products. More global regulatory convergence might further simplify and expedite current ATMP development in these regions.     

Long-term feeding of various fat diets modulates azoxymethane-induced colon carcinogenesis through Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in rats

The Wnt signaling pathway plays an essential role in carcinogenesis, and the amount of fat intake and composition of dietary fatty acids are crucial factors for colon carcinogenesis. We investigated whether various dietary fats affected the Wnt signaling pathway of colon tumorigenesis in azoxymethane (AOM)-treated rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given intraperitoneal injections of AOM and supplemented with 10% corn, olive, beef, and fish oil for 44 wk. Aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and tumors were examined at 12 and 44 wk. Normal appearing colon mucosal proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated by 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation and percentages of fragmented DNA, respectively. Expressions of beta-catenin, cyclin D(1), Wnt2, Wnt3, and Wnt5a of normal appearing colon mucosa were analyzed by Western blot analysis. Long-term dietary corn oil and beef tallow increased ACF, tumor incidence, and tumor numbers in AOM-treated rats. In contrast, both olive and fish oil inhibited them. Dietary corn oil and beef tallow increased BrdU incorporation and the expression of cytosolic beta-catenin and cyclin D(1) and decreased apoptosis in the colon mucosa. Expressions of Wnt2 and Wnt3 in rats fed with beef tallow and Wnt5a in rats fed with corn oil increased with or without AOM-treatment. BrdU-incorporated cells were often observed at the tops of crypts in rats fed with beef tallow, whereas this was not observed in rats fed with the other diet. Long-term high intake of corn oil and beef tallow enhanced cell proliferation through Wnt signaling and modulated the distribution of proliferating cells, which might contribute to promoting effects in colon tumorigenesis.     

Vitamin D in foods and as supplements

Numerous studies have shown that the vitamin D status is far from optimal in many countries all over the world. The main reason for this is lack of sunshine. Only a limited number of foods naturally contain vitamin D. Good sources of vitamin D(3) are fish (not only fatty fish), egg yolk, and offal such as liver. Some foods such as milk are fortified with vitamin D in some countries. Dietary vitamin D intake is low in many countries, especially as the dietary sources are limited. The use of supplements is important and seems to be high in some countries. Current dietary intake recommendations are too low to preserve/reach optimal S-25-OHD concentrations, when UVB radiation is not available. We suggest that the recommendations should be increased to at least 10 microg per day in all age groups when solar UVB is scarce. The elderly may need a daily vitamin D intake of 25 microg. If dietary intake of vitamin D is to be increased, food habits will have to change. From a public health point of view it is better to increase the potential sources of vitamin D by fortifying specific products that are consumed commonly in a whole population, or if necessary by especially vulnerable groups. Supplement use is probably the right alternative for vulnerable groups such as infants and inactive elderly in whom this is more easily implemented.     

The distribution of selenium and cancer mortality in the continental United States

An hypothesis was proposed that selenium concentration in the environment, as measured by the uptake of this element by forage crops, exerted an apparent effect on cancer incidence, such that cancer mortality in the continental United States was lower where the selenium concentration was high than where the concentration was low. The purpose of the present study is to test this hypothesis for statistical significance and to discover whether the apparent pattern of cancer mortality in relation to selenium distribution holds true with respect to all ages. Two main types of statistical analyses were employed: analysis of variance and trend analysis, both applied to all age groups and both sexes. Data presented in this paper show that significant interactions exist between selenium distribution and sex in relation to deaths caused by cancer of the digestive organs, respiratory organs, and the breast. Geographic variations in selenium may be viewed as variations in the intake of this element in the diet. A significant interaction may thus suggest that the particular cancer in question has in its origin a dietary factor that includes some measure of selenium intake. A discussion involving contributions from various disciplines is presented to explain the significant results reported in this paper. This paper shows that a pattern exists between the geographical distribution of selenium using forage crops as a guide for dietary intake and cancer mortality (ICD 140-209,150-159,160-163, and 174) such that an inverse relationship exists between selenium concentration in an area and cancer mortality in the same area.     

Nutrient Intake is Modulated By Peripheral Peptide Administration

Many peptides have been shown to modulate nutrient intake. In most cases, these peptides decrease food intake, but in a few cases they have been demonstrated to stimulate feeding. Infusion of insulin peripherally will decrease food intake unless hypoglycemia occurs where the reduced glucose is a stimulus to feeding. Other pancreatic hormones including glucagon, amylin, pancreatic polypeptide, and enterostatin reduce food intake. Of the gastrointestinal hormones, cholecystokinin has been the most widely studied and reduces food intake in a number of species, including human beings. Gastrin-releasing peptide and its relative bombesin have been shown to decrease food intake in experimental animals and man. Somatostatin reduces food intake in experimental animals, but no clinical studies are available. Four pituitary peptides also modify food intake. Vasopressin decreases feeding. In contrast, injections of desacetyl melanocyte stimulating hormone (dMSH), growth hormone, and prolactin are associated with increased food intake. Finally, there are a group of miscellaneous peptides which modulate feeding. β-casomorphin, a hepta peptide produced during the hydrolysis of casein, stimulates food intake in experimental animals. In contrast, the other pep tides in this group including calcitonin, apolipoprotein A-IV, the cyclized form of histidyl-proline, several cytokines, and thyrotropin-releasing hormone decrease food intake. Many of these peptides act on gastrointestinal or hepatic receptors which relay messages to the brain via the afferent vagus nerve. As a group they provide a number of leads for potential drug development.     

美国、欧盟和中国生物技术药物的比较

按照相同表达系统表达的相同氨基酸序列的产品视为同种产品,而不同表达系统表达的相同氨基酸序列的产品视为不同产品的原则,归纳总结了美国、欧盟和中国已批准上市的生物技术药物。美国FDA批准的以基因工程产品、抗体工程产品和细胞工程产品为主要代表的生物技术药物共79种(18种为大肠杆菌表达,8种为酵母表达,53种为哺乳动物细胞培养生产),其中基因重组蛋白质药物为64种。欧盟批准了49种基因重组酶、激素或细胞因子,11种基因重组治疗性抗体和5种基因重组疫苗。在欧美60％-70％的产品由哺乳动物细胞表达。中国批准了27种生物技术药物。比较了美国、欧盟和中国生物制药的特点。     

Review of methodology for the determination of macrocyclic lactone residues in biological matrices

The macrocyclic lactones (MLs) are probably the anti-parasitic agents most widely used in the treatment of food producing animals, poultry, aquaculture and crops. Ivermectin was the first macrocyclic lactone product to be licensed for use about 20 years ago. A number of alternative products such abamectin, doramectin, emamectin, eprinomectin, moxidectin, milbemycin and selamectin, have been marketed since. Because of the increase in the number of ML drugs, there has been a steady increase in the number of published analytical methods for determination of their residues. In this paper, the structure and properties of the different ML drugs available on the market are described. The occurrence and persistence of ML residues in food is discussed in relation to marker residues and current maximum residue limits (MRLs) as defined in the European Union (EU). Methodologies for determination of ML residues in biological matrices are described in terms of extraction and clean-up methods used for different matrices. Detection systems for determination of ML residues are discussed with a particular emphasis placed on new developments in screening technologies and liquid chromatography with fluorescence or mass spectrometry.     

Dietary factors in the fall in coronary heart disease mortality.

The role of dietary change in the fall in heart disease mortality has been hotly debated. Three countries, Australia, USA and UK with equal 'care' and sophistication of surgical techniques have shown different timing in the beginning of the decline of this 'epidemic'; around the mid 1960s in the first two countries, but not until the late 1970s for the UK. The cause of this difference may be the changing food habits of their populations. Using food disappearance data, apparent consumption of butter and margarine show opposite trends (butter down and margarine up) predating the decline in mortality in both the USA and Australia by at least 7 years and also in the UK, but at a later time, (about 1970). Changes in adipose tissue linoleate, a marker for polyunsaturated fat intake, support this indirect evidence, with depot levels rising in the USA from the 1960s and 10 years later in the UK. Other evidence support the view of decreasing saturated fat intake and increasing polyunsaturated intake prior to 1960 in the USA. Although many factors must contribute to the decline in mortality from CHD, change in dietary P/S ratio would seem to be the major dietary contributor.     

Consumer Risk Assessment Associated with Intake of Pesticide Residues in Food of Plant Origin from the Retail Market in Poland

The aim of this study was to characterize short- and long-term risk for consumers associated with dietary intake of pesticide residues in fruits, vegetables, and other foodstuffs available on the Polish market based on 2010–2013 official surveillance results. Among 779 samples collected from 2010 to 2013 no pesticide residue was found in 39.7% samples while 58.5% contained residues at or below the EU Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs). Non-compliances (residues above the respective MRLs) were found in 14 samples (1.8%). Most of the estimated daily intakes were well below 1% of respective acceptable daily intake (ADI) values. The highest intake for children and adults was about 7% and 1.5% of ADI, respectively. For non-compliant results acute risk was characterized. Predicted short-term intakes for children and adults ranged from 0.7% to 425%, and from 0.2% to 100% of respective acute reference dose, respectively. Results of chronic risk characterization show that consumers in Poland are adequately protected; however, incidental cases where residue levels may potentially pose a threat to consumers’ health due to acute exposure cannot be excluded.     

Online Medical Literature Consultation Habits of Academic Teaching Physicians in the EU and CIS Countries: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Both in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and in the European Union (EU2004), ample availability of up to date medical scientific literature is important for progress in medical science and for the education of the next generation of healthcare workers. The aim of this research is to assess if the use of online medical literature among academic teaching (AT) physicians is at the same level in the CIS as in the EU2004.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In the capital cities of the CIS and the EU2004 member states, AT physicians holding an academic position at least equivalent to an associate professor and performing the three classical tasks in academic medicine (teaching, research and patient care) were interviewed about their use of and familiarity with the Internet and 9 online literature services, including journals and bibliographical databases such as PubMed (Medline), The Cochrane Library and Web of Science. Library staff members were interviewed about the availability of these online literature services at their libraries. About 750 physicians and 40 library staff members were invited for participation. Eventually 124 AT physicians and 22 library staff members participated. Internet was everywhere available, but used daily by more AT physicians in the EU2004 (71% versus 48% in the CIS, P = .005). AT physicians in the EU2004 accessed a higher percentage of all articles online (74% versus 43% in the CIS, P<.001). PubMed (P<.001), The Cochrane Library (P<.001) and Web of Science (P<.003) were used more frequently in the EU2004. In the EU2004 more AT physicians were familiar with Open Access journals (89% versus 51% in the CIS, P<.001).

Conclusions/Significance

AT physicians in the CIS use online medical literature less than in the EU2004. It is recommended that the awareness of freely available online literature services such as Open Access journals is enhanced among AT physicians and library staff members, especially in the CIS.     

Bioavailability of selenium from meat and broccoli as determined by retention and distribution of 75Se

The concentration of selenium (Se), an essential nutrient, is variable in foods, depending, in part, on how and where foods are produced; some foods accumulate substantial amounts of Se when produced on high-Se soils. The chemical form of Se also differs among foods. Broccoli is a Se-accumulating plant that contains many methylated forms of Se, and Se bioavailability from broccoli has been reported to be low. Red meats such as pork or beef could accumulate Se when the animal is fed high-Se diets, and Se from such meats has been reported to be highly bioavailable for selenoprotein synthesis. In a further attempt to characterize the utilization of Se from broccoli and meats such as pork or beef, we have fed rats diets adequate (0.1 μg Se/g diet) in Se or high in Se (1.5 μg S/g diet), with the Se source being either high-Se broccoli or beef. Rats were then given test meals of broccoli or pork intrinsically labeled with ⁷⁵Se. When dietary Se was nutritionally adequate (0.1 μg/g diet), more ⁷⁵Se from pork than broccoli was retained in tissues; however, there were no significant differences in whole-body retention when dietary Se was high (1.5 μg/g diet). A significantly greater percentage of ⁷⁵Se from broccoli than pork was excreted in the urine and dietary Se did not affect urinary excretion of broccoli ⁷⁵Se, but the amount excreted from pork varied directly with dietary Se intake. Radiolabeled ⁷⁵Se derived from pork effectively labeled selenoproteins in all tissues examined, but ⁷⁵Se from broccoli was undetectable in selenoproteins. These differences in retention and distribution of Se from broccoli or pork are consistent with reported differences in bioavailability of Se from beef and broccoli. They also suggest that there are fewer differences in bioavailability when Se is consumed in supranutritional amounts.     

Multicompartmental LC-Q-TOF-based metabonomics as an exploratory tool to identify novel pathways affected by polyphenol-rich diets in mice

Metabonomics has recently been used to study the physiological response to a given nutritional intervention, but such studies have usually been restricted to changes in either plasma or urine. In the present study, we demonstrate that the use of LC-Q-TOF-based metabolome analyses (foodstuff, plasma, urine, and caecal content metabolomes) in mice offer higher order information, including intra- and intercompartment relationships. To illustrate this, we performed an intervention study with three different phenolic-rich extracts in mice over 3 weeks. Both unsupervised (PCA) and supervised (PLS-DA) multivariate analyses used for pattern recognition revealed marked effects of diet in each compartment (plasma, urine, and caecal contents). Specifically, dietary intake of phenolic-rich extract affects pathways such as bile acid and taurine metabolism. Q-TOF-based metabonomics demonstrated that the number of correlations is higher in caecal contents and urine than in plasma. Moreover, intercompartment correlations showed that caecal contents-plasma correlations are the most frequent in mice, followed by plasma-urine ones. The number of inter- and intracompartment correlations is significantly affected by diet. These analyses reveal the complexity of interorgan metabolic relationships and their sensitivity to dietary changes.     

Biomarkers of legume intake in human intervention and observational studies: a systematic review

There is a growing interest in assessing dietary intake more accurately across different population groups, and biomarkers have emerged as a complementary tool to replace traditional dietary assessment methods. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature available and evaluate the applicability and validity of biomarkers of legume intake reported across various observational and intervention studies. A systematic search in PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Knowledge identified 44 studies which met the inclusion criteria for the review. Results from observational studies focused on soy or soy-based foods and demonstrated positive correlations between soy intake and urinary, plasma or serum isoflavonoid levels in different population groups. Similarly, intervention studies demonstrated increased genistein and daidzein levels in urine and plasma following soy intake. Both genistein and daidzein exhibited dose-response relationships. Other isoflavonoid levels such as O-desmethylangolensin (O-DMA) and equol were also reported to increase following soy consumption. Using a developed scoring system, genistein and daidzein can be considered as promising candidate markers for soy consumption. Furthermore, genistein and daidzein also served as good estimates of soy intake as evidenced from long-term exposure studies marking their status as validated biomarkers. On the contrary, only few studies indicated proposed biomarkers for pulses intake, with pipecolic acid and S-methylcysteine reported as markers reflecting dry bean consumption, unsaturated aliphatic, hydroxyl-dicarboxylic acid related to green beans intake and trigonelline reported as marker of peas consumption. However, data regarding criteria such as specificity, dose-response and time-response relationship, reliability, and feasibility to evaluate the validity of these markers is lacking. In conclusion, despite many studies suggesting proposed biomarkers for soy, there is a lack of information on markers of other different subtypes of legumes. Further discovery and validation studies are needed in order to identify reliable biomarkers of legume intake.     

The use of fatty acid biomarkers to reflect dietary intake

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review compares fatty acid biomarkers to assess compliance in dietary intervention trials with their application in epidemiological studies. RECENT FINDINGS: Although many studies have used fatty acid biomarkers to assess compliance in short-term dietary intervention trials and habitual diets in observational studies, there is little information on the reliability and comparability of these measures. In this review, we summarize the usefulness and limitations of fatty acid biomarkers in clinical and epidemiological studies. As there are very few recent publications in this area, a complete literature review is provided. SUMMARY: Several options are available for the biological assessment of dietary fatty acids. The type of study (short or long-term), the metabolic characteristics and expected variability in the fatty acids of interest are major considerations when determining which tissues reflect a better measure of true intake. Certain fatty acids may not be suitable to assess differences in intake under non-isocaloric conditions and when trying to identify small differences. Serum cholesterol ester is the most suitable serum fraction to assess short-term dietary compliance, but given the multiple factors that affect response, the quantification of compliance should be interpreted with caution. Adipose tissue is the biomarker of choice for long-term intake, but a preferred blood constituent (plasma versus erythrocytes) is difficult to establish given the data available to date. Future studies should explore the use of whole blood as an alternative choice to measure fatty acid intake in epidemiological studies.