Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)

Omega 3, Omega 6, Omega 9

Essential Fatty Acids Description
Use and benefits of Essential Fatty Acids
How much EFA should be consumed in the diet?

Essential Fatty Acids - Description (top)
An Essential Fatty Acid is a nutrient that the body needs for normal healthy function, but like vitamins and minerals, these substances cannot be made or manufactured in the human body. Therefore, a sufficient amount of EFAs must be consumed in a 'normal' diet to maintain good health.

What are Omega 3 and Omega 6 Essential Fatty Acids?
Both Omega 3 and Omega 6 are polyunsaturated acids (ones which have multiple double carbon bonds in them) and cannot be synthesised in the body from non lipid precursors (biochemical molecules that are not fats). This makes them essential fatty acids that must be consumed in the diet regularly to maintain good health.

As a food substance, Omega 3 and Omega 6 EFAs have been the most studied with over 4500 clinical trials investigating the benefits and roles of these essential fatty acids, most using fish oil as a nutritional source of Omega 3s.

Essential Fatty Acids: Omega 3, 6 and 9 - Uses (top)
Omega 3 EFAs are involved in many different body processes. Much research has been carried out to determine the roles they play in a whole host of different body systems. The most evidence exists for their role in maintaining cardiovascular system health, joint health, immune and nervous system health.  Over 70% of brain and neural tissues are made from Omega 3, and are thought to have a vital role in brain function and mood.  Significant evidence is now available that indicates that a deficiency in omega 3 may be a key causative factor in depression.

Omega 6 EFAs are generally necessary for skin and hair growth, regulating metabolism, promoting transport of fatty acids from the liver to the tissues and maintaining reproductive performance. Researchers believe that they have an important role in reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer and stroke.

Omega 9 EFAs are known to be essential for normal metabolism.  Research is ongoing to determine the precise role this family of EFA molecules play in health.

It is estimated that in the current average western diet this ratio lies at 20:1 of Omega 6 :Omega 3, with the proportion of Omega 6 provided in the form of linoleic acid from cooking oils and vegetable margarine usually made from safflower, sunflower, corn or soyabeans. This is not to say that we all eat too much Omega 6 - many people are believed to be deficient in Omega 6, especially if they have not converted to using vegetable oils or margarine instead of the dairy alternatives.

Therefore, the major health issue is that we do not eat sufficient Omega 3 to keep the balance between these two EFAs healthy, and keep close to the 4:1 ratio!

Why is this balance of Omega Essential Fatty Acids important?

The balance of Omega 3 to Omega 6 is important because both families of Omega EFAs use the same enzymes in their biochemical pathways for a process called desaturation. This is the process the body uses for conversion of the EFAs into the different forms the body needs for normal functioning, and they competitively inhibit each other. In other words, if the body is busy converting Omega 6 molecules into other forms, it cannot inter-convert Omega 3 from its current form into the type of Omega 3 the body needs.

For each molecule of Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acid to be effectively used in the metabolic pathway, there needs to be no more that four Omega 6 molecules present, and if this balance is exceeded Omega 3 cannot gain sufficient access to the enzymes needed for processing, which may result in less EPA (eicosapentoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaneoic acid) than the body needs to maintain health and normal body processes.

Unfortunately we cannot inter-convert Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids within our bodies, so it is essential to eat the right proportions. When we get this ratio too far out of balance we can develop problems:-

· excessive levels of Omega 3 may reduce blood clotting time
· excessive levels of Omega 6 increases the risk of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD).

(top)

As with all supplements, it is advisable to consult your medical practitioner for advice and guidance if you have a medical condition or are receiving a prescription medicine.