User:RDRice

The International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL)
The International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) is an International Scientific Society established in 1991. It currently has more than 500 members from more than 40 countries. ISSFAL members are scientists, medical professionals, educators, administrators, communicators and others with an interest in the health effects of dietary fats, oils and lipids; members include researchers carrying out studies on the health effects of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acids (CLA), saturated, monounsaturated and trans fatty acids as well as other lipids. ISSFAL is the foremost International Scientific Society dealing exclusively with the health impact of dietary lipids. Mission The ISSFAL mission is to serve as an agent for communication among nutritionists, physiologists, pathologists, biochemists, cellular, molecular and structural biologists and practicing clinicians with interests in the biological effects of fatty acids and lipids in health and disease. Improved communication across these different branches of medical and biological sciences has stimulated new research and increased knowledge of lipid nutrition. ISSFAL has also taken a role in interpreting the new facts into sound nutritional advice for the public. History:The Society was registered as a non-profit corporation in the State of Massachusetts, USA on March 11th 1991 at the Massachusetts General Hospital,Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The first President of the Society was Professor Alexander Leaf. He was followed in succession (three year terms each) by Dr Jorn Dyerberg, Professor Claudio Galli, Professor Art Spector, Dr Norman Salem Jr., and Professor Michel Lagarde. The current President is Professor Philip Calder, who will serve until April 2010, when he will be succeeded by Professor Susan Carlson.The first Secretary/Treasurer was Dr Artemis Simopoulos. She was succeeded as Secretary/Treasurer in 1998, by Dr Ray Rice; his final term of office will expire in 2010.Details of the current Officers and Board members can be found on the Society website. Activities:Every alternate year the Society organises a major research conference, which over a space of 4 or 5 days examines the latest findings in a number of different health areas. Some 400-600 delegates attend these meetings, which are held in different parts of the world. The first ISSFAL congress, in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1993, hosted 450 participants from 35 countries. Similarly, the second ISSFAL congress, in June 1995, was held at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, USA. The third ISSFAL congress took place in Lyon, France in June 1998, and the fourth took place in Tsukuba, Japan in early June 2000. The fifth meeting in this series was held in Montreal, Canada in May 2002, while Brighton, UK was the venue for the sixth such meeting in June 2004. The seventh ISSFAL congress took place in Cairns, Australia in July 2006. The 8th meeting in this series took place in May 2008 in Kansas City, USA. The 9th ISSFAL meeting will be held in Maastricht, the Netherlands, in late May 2010. Newsletter:In addition to this from 1991 until 2007, the Society published a Newsletter three times each year, providing members with news and comments on current research findings. The Newsletter was absorbed into the journal Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids(PLEFA) in 2008, when the Society adopted PLEFA as its official journal. Membership of the Society provides free electronic access to this journal and its archive. Statements: The Society also publishes from time to time, official statements on the subject of dietary lipids and health, so as to aid in the dissemination of scientifically established information of interest to media, Government and lay public. These statements can be viewed on the public access pages of the Society website which can be found at http://www.issfal.org.uk/pufa-recommendations.html The 1st Statement is of a general nature, and was approved in 1993. The 2nd Statement concerns the nature of dietary fats used in the production of breast-milk substitutes (infant formula) and was revised in 2008. The 3rd Statement concerns the daily intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids that the Society considers to be needed for the maintenance of good health in adults, and was approved in 2004. The 4th Statement is concerned with the dietary fat intake of pregnant and lactating women. It was approved in 2008. The 5th Statement concerns the extent to which alpha-linolenic acid can be converted in vivo to the long chain omega-3 polyunsaturates eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. It was approved in 2009. The Society also acts as a sponsor of other scientific meetings that deal with the areas of relevance to the core interests of the Society. Membership:Membership of the Society is open to anyone with an interest in the Society activities, on payment of the annual dues.Details of how to join can be found on the website at www.ISSFAL.org.uk