Essential fatty acids are a group of unsaturated fats that you must obtain from your diet.. The three primary types of essential fatty acids are arachidonic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid. Linolenic acid is versatile, in that it can be converted into either arachidonic acid or linolenic acid. Essential fatty acids are found in a variety of healthy foods and are essential for your good health.
Fish
Researchers at the School of Health Sciences and Metabolic Research Centre, University of Wollongong, Australia, reported that people in Western countries do not consume enough long chain omega-3 essential fatty acids for optimal health. One way to improve that improve that disparity is to eat more fish. Compared to countries such as Japan, where cardiovascular disease rates are much lower and fish consumption is much higher, Western countries consume five times less of these important fats. The study appeared in the May 2011 issue of the journal "Prostaglandins Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids."
Mustard Oil and Grains
Plant sources of essential fatty acids are abundant and include soy, soy bean oil, nuts, whole grains and a variety of fruits and vegetables, according to a study published in the 2003 issue of the journal "World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics." Researchers evaluated the advantages of a traditional Indo-Mediterranean diet, where mustard oil and grains provide significant quantities of essential fatty acids and associated heart-protective benefits compared to diets consumed by urban-dwellers in north and east India, who show a high incidence of coronary artery disease. Mustard oil contains contains 14 percent linoleic acid -- an omega-6 essential fatty acid and 6.8 percent linolenic acid -- an omega-3 essential fatty acid. Mustard oil also contains 22 percent oleic acid -- which, though not an essential fatty acid, is the same heart-healthy fatty acid found in olive oil.
Nuts
Walnuts are a good choice for increasing essential fatty acid content in your diet, according to the USDA-ARS, Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. In an article published in the October 2010 issue of the journal "Inflammation," researchers reported high quantities of the polyunsaturated fatty acids alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid contained in walnuts improve brain function by reducing inflammation in support cells within the brain known as microglia. The researchers predict that this protective property of walnuts shows promise for a walnut-based nutritional approach to prevention and treatment of brain and nerve degeneration.
Greens
Some green leafy vegetables are good sources of essential fatty acids. Purslane, a succulent plant often considered a weed, contains omega-3 essential fatty acids. A study by the Smart Foods Centre, University of Wollongong, Australia, measured up to 2.5 mg per g of fatty acid content in fresh purslane leaves. The essential fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid comprised 60 percent of the fatty acid content in the leaves and 40 percent in the seeds. The study appeared in the September 2000 issue of the "Journal of Chromatography."
References
- "Omega-6/Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acid Ratio: the Scientific Evidence"; Artemis P. Simopoulos; 2003
- "Inflammation"; Walnut Extract Inhibits Lps-induced Activation of Bv-2 Microglia Via Internalization of Tlr4: Possible Involvement of Phospholipase D2; L. Willis, et al.; October 2010
- "Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes andEssential Fatty Acids"; Are We Consuming Enough Long Chain Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids for Optimal Health?; B. Meyer, et al.; May 2011
- "Journal of Chromatography"; Fatty Acids and Beta-carotene in Australian Purslane (Portulaca Oleracea) Varieties; L. Liu, et al.; September 2000
- MedTerms.com: Essential Fatty Acids
