The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Fatty Acids in Everyday Medical Practice

Data

Official data in SubjectManager for the following academic year: 2025-2026

Course director

  • Szabó Éva (Biokémia)

    assistant professor,
    Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry

Number of hours/semester

lectures: 12 hours

practices: 0 hours

seminars: 0 hours

total of: 12 hours

Subject data

  • Code of subject: OAF-JRC-T
  • 1 kredit
  • General Medicine
  • Optional modul
  • spring
Prerequisites:

-

Course headcount limitations

min. 5 – max. 25

Available as Campus course for . Campus-karok: GYTK TTK

Topic

Nowadays, supplements and fortified foods containing omega-3 fatty acids and fish oil are becoming increasingly popular. But do they have beneficial effects for everyone? Why do we need these fatty acids? Are there actually good and bad fatty acids? The aim of the course is to familiarise students with the occurrence and medical importance of fatty acids that play an important role in the human body, so that they can answer questions like these. The course will review the occurrence of fatty acids in everyday life, with particular emphasis on dietary sources. With the criteria of evidence-based medicine in mind, we will review the possible roles of fatty acids in healthy organisms and in various pathologies from conception to senescence.

Lectures

  • 1.

    Introduction, description of the topic

    - Szabó Éva (Biokémia)
  • 2.

    From alpha to omega, or the chemistry of fatty acids (nomenclature, classification)

    - Szabó Éva (Biokémia)
  • 3.

    Methods of fatty acid analysis: collection, processing, instrumental evaluation

    - Marosvölgyi Tamás
  • 4.

    Physiological and nutritional significance of fatty acids

    - Szabó Éva (Biokémia)
  • 5.

    Fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation

    - Szabó Éva (Biokémia)
  • 6.

    Fatty acids in paediatric diseases

    - Szabó Éva (Biokémia)
  • 7.

    Fatty acids and diabetes

    - Szabó Éva (Biokémia)
  • 8.

    Fatty acids in cardiology

    - Szabó Éva (Biokémia)
  • 9.

    Fatty acids in allergic diseases

    - Szabó Éva (Biokémia)
  • 10.

    Fatty acids in gastroenterology

    - Szabó Éva (Biokémia)
  • 11.

    Fatty acids in neurological and psychiatric diseases

    - Szabó Éva (Biokémia)
  • 12.

    Written exam, discussion

    - Szabó Éva (Biokémia)

Practices

Seminars

Reading material

Obligatory literature

-

Literature developed by the Department

The presentations will be uploaded electronically on Teams

Notes

-

Recommended literature

-

Conditions for acceptance of the semester

Maximum 25% absence, active participation in lessons

Mid-term exams

Written exam in week 12, no make-up is possible

Making up for missed classes

It is possible to make up one lesson by working on the given topic independently in coordination with the teacher.

Exam topics/questions

1.       The classification of fatty acids

2.       Chemistry of the main fatty acids

3.       Dietary sources of fatty acids

4.       Main steps in fatty acid analysis

5.       Large-scale instrumental detection of fatty acids

6.       Physiology of fatty acids

7.       Physiological changes in fatty acids during pregnancy

8.       Fatty acids in the perinatal development of the nervous system

9.       Role of fatty acids in infant nutrition

10.   The role of fatty acids in type 1 diabetes mellitus

11.   The role of fatty acids in type 2 diabetes mellitus

12.   The role of fatty acids in atherosclerosis

13.   Fatty acids in cardiovascular prevention

14.   The importance of the omega-3 index

15.   Fish oil supplementation in various diseases

16.   Fatty acids in atopic dermatitis

17.   Fatty acids in inflammatory processes

18.   Anti-inflammatory fatty acids

19.   Very long-chain fatty acids in neurological diseases

20.   Fatty acids in psychiatric diseases

Examiners

  • Szabó Éva (Biokémia)

Instructor / tutor of practices and seminars