Eating foods rich in linoleic acid, such as nuts and seeds, oils and certain vegetables can help you balance your body's essential fatty acids. Typical American diets contain much more omega-6 than omega-3 fatty acids, and this imbalance can cause health problems, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid are essential fatty acids that your body does not manufacture. You can obtain these essential fatty acids from foods, but to eat a healthy diet, you should consume a balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Foods Rich in Linoleic Acid
Food sources of omega-6 linoleic acid include expeller cold-pressed sunflower, sesame oils, safflower, corn, soybean, walnut, cottonseed and grape seed oils. Evening primrose oil, black currant seed oil, borage oil, chestnut oil and olive oils all contain linoleic acid. Walnuts, Brazil nuts, almonds, pine nuts, pistachios and cashews are good sources of linoleic acid, as are seeds, such as flax, hemp, sunflower, sesame and pumpkin.
Try to avoid refined and hydrogenated varieties of corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean and cottonseed oils, because refining and hydrogenating may cause them to become nutrient-deficient.
Nutrition scientist Joyce A. Nettleton notes that linoleic acid helps maintain your skin's integrity. It can block harmful substances from entering your skin, while allowing water or sweat to escape.
Foods High in Alpha-linoleic Acid
The richest food sources of omega-3 alpha-linoleic acid are walnuts and flax seeds, as well as flaxseed oil, canola oil and soybean oil. Green leafy vegetables and sea vegetables are also high in alpha-linoleic essential fatty acid, according to The Franklin Institute.
Other dietary sources of alpha-linolenic acid include pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil, perilla seed oil, soybeans and tofu. Egg yolks from flaxseed-fed hens have alpha-linolenic acid in them. Products such as some brands and varieties of yogurt, margarine and other foods now have alpha-linoleic acid and other omega-3s added.
Foods Rich in Gamma-Linoleic Acid
Foods high in gamma-linolenic acid include evening primrose oil, borage oil and black currant seed oil. Eating these foods may be helpful in treating eczema, modulating the body's inflammatory responses and regulating immune responses, according to a 2006 "Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology" journal article by Dr. Rakesh Kapoor, of Bioriginal Food and Science Corp. in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Member Comments