Defining Essential Fatty Acids

Generally, the word ‘fat’ tends to conjure up in one’s mind images of being overweight, obesity, and the foods responsible for it. However, it is important to note that there are in fact good and bad fats; consequently, it is a good idea to ensure that the choices made will contribute to enhancing your health and wellbeing instead of harming it.

Fats are made from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Fats also contain a mixture of fatty acids and glycerol. Owing to the fact that fat is such a concentrated source of energy, at 120 calories per tablespoon, regardless of the type of fat, it ‘provides more than twice the number of calories per gram than carbohydrates or protein’ (Kloss, 1995:474). There are about twenty different essential fatty acids which are vital to help make sure the body continues to function as it should.

Essential fatty acids are polyunsaturated acids which include linoleic acid and alpha linoleic acid. Linoleic acid is metabolised by the body producing in the process gamma linoleic acid (GLA). These fatty vital fatty acids are grouped together under the common label, essential fatty acids (often referred to as EFAs), and of which there are two groups; omega 3 and omega 6. Without them, ‘deficiency conditions will develop, and a person becomes more prone to develop chronic ailments’ (Plaskett, 2002:2).

Kloss, J. (1995). Back to Eden, Loma Linda, Back to Eden Publishing.

Essential Fatty Acids Promote Good Health and Wellbeing

Both omega 3 and omega 6 essential fatty acids are required to ensure the correct functioning and development of the brain and nervous system. Furthermore, essential fatty acids have been shown to be beneficial in treating mental disorders and stress. Research has shown that administration of essential fatty acids may be able to treat several manifestations of stress. For example, in a 1996 study published in The Journal of Human Hypertension, 40% less increase in blood pressure was noted in patients who received1 gram of GLA (gamma linoleic acid) for eight weeks.

The body’s cells need constant care; without sufficient vigilance your cells will eventually wear out. To prevent this from taking place, your diet can help with replenishing the cells’ membranes. As Plaskett (2002) explains, ‘omega 3 supports the biochemical normality of the cells.’ Moreover, the hormone-like chemicals produced by the essential fatty acids, and in addition to being anti-inflammatory, help with the regulation and correct balance of the body’s blood pressure, and immune system.

Omega 3 fatty acids, obtained from oily fish, comprise EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) both of which protect the heart. Omega 6 comprise AA (arachidonic acid) which promotes healthy brain growth. However, whilst both omega 3 and omega 6 are required for a healthy diet, it is essential that their sources, and presence are balanced in the body. Scientific evidence suggests that too much omega 6 (derived primarily from meat and poultry) in the diet could lead to problems such as inflammation, painful swelling in the tissues, and a rise in blood pressure. The over-consumption of omega 6 rich produce might also prevent the optimum absorption of omega 3 in the diet from taking place.

Oily fish, such as sardines, salmon, herrings and anchovies are often regarded as being the only source of essential fatty acids, but without the understanding that, in fact, fish do not make essential fatty acids. Those nutrients are a by-product of the fish’s diet, hence contained in the flesh of the fish, and therefore only made available to the human body when the fish is consumed. Furthermore, fish and shell-fish not only contain a large amount of harmful LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol; fish also constitute more saturated fat.

Bearing in mind that ‘our bodies are built up from the foods we eat’, (Ellen G. White), it appears possible to obtain essential fatty acids from a plant-based diet. Alpha-linolenic Acid, an omega 3 fatty acid, is required to reduce the clumping of blood platelets. Flaxseed oil, is both an excellent source of Alpha-linolenic Acid, and a ‘balanced’ source of both omega 3 and omega 6. In addition, excellent sources of omega 3 can be obtained, for example, from soy, hemp seed, walnuts, avocados, brussels sprouts and kidney beans. This is underpinned by the research and findings carried out by Rizzo et al. (2013), and published in the Academy of Nutrition Dietetics Journal.

The study by Rizzo et al. (2013) focused on the nutrient profiles between vegetarian and nonvegetarian dietary patterns’, and how that ‘can contribute to the development of disease’. According to their research, ‘nonvegetarians had the lowest intakes of plant proteins … and the highest intakes of saturated, trans, arachidonic, and docosahexaenoic fatty acids’ (ibid, 2013); items of food, which due to their high content of omega 6, increase inflammation in the body. Conversely, a diet rich in omega 3, it is believed, helps to reduce the build-up of plaque in the arteries. This is significant, since according to medical research, a plant-based diet has an important role to play in minimizing the risk of cardio-vascular heart disease.

To conclude, and as cited, the ‘consumption of one cup of leafy green vegetables a day lowers risk for heart disease’ Bondonno et al. (2021).

Plaskett, L. (2002). Omega 3, GLA and Carotenoids, Cornwall, Biomedical Information Services.
White, Ellen, G. The Ministry of Healing, Better Living Publications, USA.

Please feel free to contact me to find out more.

Perhaps you would like support to help you to cope and thrive. You would like to learn how to improve your mental wellbeing; how to reduce stress or anxiety; avoid or alleviate chronic lifestyle illness, and improve your general health and wellbeing. Contact me, and let’s talk.

You can contact me by email at Leap to Health, Inverness, [email protected]