Essential fatty acids

I already talked about fish oil. Let’s go a little bit more into very specific details.

The body needs fatty acids to survive and is able to make all but two of them: linoleic acid (LA), in the omega-6 family, and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in the omega-3 family. These two fatty acids must be supplied by the diet and are therefore considered essential fatty acids (EFAs).

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in coldwater fish (and as I said in my previous post, "fish oil"), perilla and flaxseed oils, are essential elements of a healthy diet. Omega-3 oils contain eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and decosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are usually lacking in the typical Western diet, which is filled instead with foods containing high amounts of omega-6 fats. EPA and DHA can be synthesized in the body from ALA, but EPA and DHA synthesis may be insufficient for most people. Omega-6 are well supplied in the diet by meat and vegetable oils, however, not all omega-6 fatty acids are of equal value: arachidonic acid (AA) tends to be unhealthy because it is the precursor of inflammatory eicosanoids which promote inflammation. In contrast gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), found in borage oil and black currant oil is an important fatty acid that plays a beneficial role.

Most of us consume far too many omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and not enough omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. In fact, our diet consist of 20 parts of omega-6 to only one part of omega-3. While instead for optimum health, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids should be between 1:1 and 4:1.

Having said that, my personal final hint if you want to buy a high quality product is to look , on the label of fish oil, for the rate of IFOS (stands for International Fish Oil Standards). The maximun rate is 5 stars. If not specified you can search on internet that particular brand, where you should find all the information needed. Should you not find more specifications, one way or another, be very alert for the product you’re buying: it might not be a quality one. And, AGAIN, buy it only if molecularly distilled.

….Always humble,

Angiolino