DETROIT— Wayne State University's Department of Nutrition and Food Science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will host "Health Effects of Dietary Saturated Fatty Acids," an international symposium at WSU's Bernath Auditorium in the David Adamany Undergraduate Library 8:45 a.m.-5 p.m Thursday, Oct.14.

Although several recent studies have suggested that dietary saturated fatty acids have no effect on coronary heart disease, the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans advocate a decrease in saturated fatty acid intake. The symposium will address this and other issues, such as whether stearic acid is a cholesterol-raising fatty acid. Focus will be placed on what is currently known and what areas need to be explored.

Speakers at the event will include Thomas Fungwe, nutrition scientist for the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion; Ingeborg Brouwer, assistant professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands; Richard Feinman, professor of biochemistry at State University of New York; KC Hayes, professor of biology and nutrition at Brandeis University; Dariush Mozaffarian, assistant professor of epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health; Kalyana Sundram, nutrition director of palm oil research at the Malaysian Palm Oil Council in Malaysia; Geoff Talbot, lecturer on fats and oils based in the U.K.; and Jeff Volek, registered dietitian and assistant professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut.

The event is free but preregistration is required. Complimentary parking, refreshments and lunch will be provided to the first 250 registrants.

To register, contact Debbie Zebari at ab8207@wayne.edu. For further information, visit http://sun3.science.wayne.edu/~pkhosla/SFASymposium.htm.

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Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit http://www.research.wayne.edu.