Unsaturated Fatty Acids and Immune Disorders

Abstract

Many patients become interested in the dietary management of chronic diseases with a suspected immunological basis because they have proved difficult to manage by other means. This approach has the emotional advantage of allowing the patient to participate in the management of their complaint. The attraction of alternative medicine and the fear of drug toxicity have given further impetus to this interest. The efficacy of supplementing the diet with unsaturated fatty acids is one of the many dietary issues which has been debated. Given the scope for unscrupulous, misguided exploitation of such patients, it is particularly important to examine the issues as objectively as possible.