Fats in food: how to give them their rightful place without condemning or glorifying them

In the area of lipid nutrition, as in many other scientific areas, there ex ists or has existed a lot of accepted ideas or dogmas that it is well diffi cult to call into question. On the basis of examples borrowed from a person al experience of research or expertise, the object of this conference consi sts in showing how much it is necessary to be prudent in the passage from d ata originating from very specialised research to recommendations concernin g human diet. Thus it is that a lot of false ideas circulate on capacity of the human organism to oxidise lipids or to synthetise fatty acids and trig lycerides from carbohydrates. Other considerations that concern relationshi ps between dietary lipids and cardiovascular diseases or some cancers deser ve to be reviewed. In fact, it is essential in nutrition to take a critical attitude in order to avoid to translate experimental data inadequately con firmed into nutritional advice.