Sphingolipids (SLs) are ubiquitous structural components of cell membranes and are essential for cell functions under physiological conditions or during disease progression. Abundant evidence supports that SLs and their metabolites, including ceramide (Cer), ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P), sphingosine (So), sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), are signaling molecules that regulate a diverse range of cellular processes and human health. However, there are limited reviews on the emerging roles of exogenous dietary SLs in human health. In this review, we discuss the ubiquitous presence of dietary SLs, highlighting their structures and contents in foodstuffs, particularly in sea foods. The digestion and metabolism of dietary SLs is also discussed. Focus is given to the roles of SLs in both the etiology and prevention of diseases, including bacterial infection, cancers, neurogenesis and neurodegenerative diseases, skin integrity, and metabolic syndrome (MetS). We propose that dietary SLs represent a “functional” constituent as emerging strategies for improving human health. Gaps in research that could be of future interest are also discussed.

鞘脂（SLs）是细胞膜的普遍结构成分，对于在生理条件下或疾病进展期间的细胞功能至关重要。大量证据支持SL及其代谢产物，包括神经酰胺（Cer），神经酰胺-1-磷酸（C1P），鞘氨醇（So），鞘氨醇-1-磷酸（S1P），是调节多种细胞过程的信号分子，并且人类健康。但是，关于外源性饮食SL在人类健康中新兴作用的评论很少。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了饮食性SL的普遍存在，重点介绍了它们在食品中的结构和含量，特别是在海鲜中。还讨论了膳食SL的消化和代谢。重点关注了SL在疾病的病因和预防（包括细菌感染）中的作用，癌症，神经发生和神经退行性疾病，皮肤完整性和代谢综合征（MetS）。我们建议饮食性SL代表“功能性”成分，作为改善人类健康的新兴策略。还讨论了将来可能引起关注的研究空白。