ABSTRACT

Descriptions of the metabolic and chemical differences among the different fatty acids in our tissues appear later in this book. They describe how the n-3 type of fatty acids present in fish oil can antagonize the conversion of arachidonate into potent hormone-like materials and affect human health. Since the early 1970s, results of medical research have indicated ways in which these hormone-like derivatives of arachidonate can be important in diseases. However, clinical scientists still cannot classify which of the different hormone-like actions is good or bad. Although they know that these derivatives are important; they do not yet know precisely how important each derivative is in a particular disease mechanism.