I just finished a very interesting book describing a lot of the research (in readable form) regarding the effects of Omega fatty acids on health. The title is "Queen of Fats" by Susan Allport subtitled "Why Omega-3's Were Removed from the Western Diet and What We Can Do to Replace Them".

This isn't a diet book but the results presented make a very convincing case for the book's thesis: It isn't just how much (or little) fat you eat - it's what kind you eat.

I first heard of the book while listening to NPR's Science Friday program. The focus of the discussion was how today's rush to eliminate trans-fats may lead to an even worse nutrition problem. The data presented in this book help explain why that is likely to happen.

One sobering example was a study done in the 70's on the Inuit natives of Greenland. They were studied because they had very low incidences of cardiac problems, diabetes, and arthritis even though they ate a diet very heavy in fats from whale blubber and other fish. Their blood was found to contain higher amount of Omega-3 fatty acids than Europeans of the time which was concluded as the reason for their good health. The real kicker was that 15-20 years later they had developed all of the above health problems. Subsequent studies found that they still ate lots of fishy fats and still had high levels of Omega-3's; however, they had also adopted many processed/convenience foods from modern societies and now had Omega-6 fatty acids in their blood much higher than before.....

Anyway it's a very interesting read.

George