Essential Fatty Acids: Vital Nutrition for the Most Critical Functions of the Body

Fatty acids are natural components of fats and oils. Based on their chemical structure they can be differentiated into three groups: ‘saturated’, ‘mono-unsaturated’ and ‘poly-unsaturated’ fatty acids.

 

Saturated fatty acids are mainly found in animal foods, such as meat, lard, sausage, butter, cheese, palm kernel and coconut oil, which are used for frying.   

 

Most unsaturated fatty acids are of plant and fatty fish origin. Foods containing unsaturated fatty acids include avocado, nuts, vegetable oils (corn, soy and algal-oil), herring and salmon. 

 

Within the family of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), there are two different groups: the ‘omega-3-fatty acids ‘and ‘omega-6-fatty acids’.

 

Meat products contain both saturated and unsaturated fats. 

 

Essential fatty acids (abbreviated as EFAs) are unsaturated fatty acids that are essential to human health, but cannot be manufactured in the body. There are three types of EFAs: arachnoidic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid. While linoleic acid is obtained in the diet, it can be converted to both arachnoidic and linolenic acid. 

 

EFAs promote cardiovascular health, joint health, skin health, brain function and more. There are several different types of EFAs but omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 are the most common. Omegas 3 and 6 are not produced by the body, so we have to get them from our diet.

 

For omega-3-fatty acids, their parent fatty acid is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). The long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), can be synthesized from ALA, although conversion rates are very low, especially for DHA.

 

Meanwhile, the parent fatty acid of omega-6-fatty acids is linoleic acid (LA). The long-chain omega-6 fatty acid, arachidonic acid (AA), can be synthesized from LA.

 

It has been estimated that the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in the typical Western diet is almost 10:1 due to increased use of vegetable oils rich in omega-6 fatty acids as well as reduced fish consumption.

 

Fish oil and flaxseed oil are the most popular way to supplement essential fatty acids. Fish oils are rich in omega-3s, specifically EPA and DHA. Krill oil is also a type of fish oil.

 

Flaxseed oil is made from pressing flax seeds and rich in omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids.