EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids )
- "The Fats of Life!"
Abbreviations: PUFAs (Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids), incl. the EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids):
Omega 6 (O6)
- LA (linolenic acid)
- GLA (gamma-linolenic acid)
- DGLA (Dihomo-gamma-linolenic)
- AA (Arachidonic acid)
Omega-3 (O3):
- ALA (alpha linolenic acid)
- SDA (stearidonic acid)
- EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid)
- DHA (Docosahexenoic Acid)
What are EFAs ?
EFAs are two families of energetic PUFAs called omega-3 and omega-6
EFA presence in our cell membranes is critical in every system in the body.
Very much involved in today’s metabolic and inflammatory diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer EFAs are responsible for many functions in the body:
- Increase cellular energy production;
- Control traffic in and out of cells;
- Mediators (called eicosanoids) produced from EFAs are the “First responders” to any trauma causing inflammation by modifying blood pressure, pain, cell-proliferation, and airway dilation;
- Affect our mood, intelligence and behavior;
EFAs are distinguished by having 2 to 6 bends formed by double carbon bonds in their carbon-chain “backbone”.
Negatively-charged electron clouds at each bend make them highly chemically-reactive by providing sites for oxidation. Their shape ranges from having a couple of bends to looking like a curled up caterpillar (saturated fatty acids have straight bodies that can lie compactly together). These “bendy” fatty acids reside in ALL our cell membranes (except red blood cells) and are crucially responsible for our health.
Good sources: flax, hemp and chia seeds
Good sources: fish oil, grass-fed animals / poultry
The EFAs MUST BE EATEN in food or supplements
Our body is unable to manufacture EFAs
Humans lack the enzymes required to incorporate a double-bond beyond the 9th carbon of a fatty acid.
Best evidence indicates an optimum PUFA intake of only 4% of calories.
Compared to the amount of saturated and monounsaturated fat in our bodies we contain very little polyunsaturated fat, so we don’t need to consume a lot of omega-3 and omega-6 EFAs. These can typically be provided in temperate and tropical diets from legumes, grains, nuts, green vegetables, fish, olive / avocado oil and animal fats.
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are present in highest amounts in meat, eggs, and the oils of nuts, seeds, vegetables, fish, seafood and marine algae.
Some fatty acids predominate in certain foods (E.g. the richest source of Omega-3 ALA is flaxseed, best source of Omega-3 EPA is oily fish, and meat and eggs are high sources of omega-6 AA). Also, fatty acids can be converted by enzymes in the body after consumption (as indicated by the ⇒ arrows below). The EFAs include:
- Omega-3: ALA ⇒ SDA ⇒ ETA ⇒ EPA ⇒DPA⇒ DHA
- Omega-6: LA ⇒ GLA ⇒ DGLA ⇒ AA
Sufficient dietary omega-3 is pivotal in preventing or resolving many health problems seen today - Most diets fall way short!
"Research says if you increase omega-3's in the diet, you improve every major degenerative condition of our time"
– Udo Erasmus PhD (wrote the book on fats: “Fats that heal, Fats that kill”)
Omega-6 has a predominantly "call-to-action" effect, while omega-3 works to bring a situation "back-to-normal"
Today’s typical Western diet has plenty of omega-6 but little omega-3.
95-99% of the population consumes an average of a mere 1/6th of the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fat eaten by people in the mid-1800’s, which even back then was not enough for optimum health. This has occurred due to changes in farming methods, food production and processing, and also people eating less oily fish.
Omega-6 DGLA can either lead to anti-inflammatory eicosanoid activity with omega-3 presence, or else it converts to AA, which except for prostacyclin, produces mostly inflammatory activity.
Some studies have shown that the body may have built-in mechanisms to limit the over-inflammatory effect of too much omega-6, but if you want to deal with the common problems of today and enjoy health, you must include sufficient omega-3 in your diet.
The incredible health benefits of EFAs
EFAs impact 5 vital functions supporting all body systems
(1) EFAs - Cell membrane integrity
(2) Eicosanoids - "First-Alert Responders"
- EFAs can have inflammatory and / or anti-inflammatory effect
Activated by traumatic stimuli, certain EFAs (EPA, DHA, DGLA, AA) in the cell membrane convert to hormone-like molecules, called eicosanoids, which alert the cell’s “neighborhood” to take appropriate action to regulate heart rate, blood pressure, blood clotting, kidney function, vascular and airway dilation / constriction , cellular proliferation, and immune response – controlling inflammation / pain, fighting infection, and promoting tissue repair, +++ in the vicinity of a cell. Eicosanoids are also produced at base levels to maintain homeostasis.
Today’s typical Western diet contains an unhealthy presence of high-heat-processed, mostly omega-6-rich oils and fats.These are the solvent-extracted / refined, partially- and fully-hydrogenated EFA oils prolifically used in food dishes, processed products, shortening, margarine and salad dressings / mayonaise.Quite apart from adding to your body’s Omega-6 overload, the high-heat, chemically-changing processing damages the delicate EFAs in the oils, introducing altered, unnatural fats (e.g. trans fats), which if consumed can wreak havoc in your body. The damage continues when the oil is then used in high-heat cooking, such as deep-frying. The final insult is that with the exception of sunflower oil, about 90% of EFA oils are from GMO seeds.
(3) Cellular energy production
The double carbon bonds of EFA’s are chemically very active, attracting oxygen and sunlight’s energetic electrons to the cell, which improves cell energy metabolism and electrical potentials for nerve transmission.
Omega-3 DHA (most abundant in fish oils) is necessarily abundant in the brain, retina, inner ear, adrenal glands and testes to ensure their high OXYGEN requirement, and thus their ability to produce sufficient ENERGY to perform their high energy-requiring tasks.
(4) Systems support
- Blood sugar regulation
- Brain / nerve function
- Cancer prevention
- Cardiovascular protection
- Inflammatory response mediation
- Kidney function / water retention
- Weight management
- Growth / Repair
- Immune system regulation
- Reproductive health
- Skin health
- Vision health
- Digestion
(5) Pregnancy and child development
EFAs are involved in conception, pregnancy, post-partum depression and child behavior and particularly neural development.
TOXIC (High-heat-processed / Altered) oils NEED TO GO!
What TOXIC oils?
Today’s typical Western diet contains an unhealthy presence of high-heat-processed, mostly omega-6-rich oils and fats.
These are the solvent-extracted / refined, partially- and fully-hydrogenated EFA oils prolifically used in food dishes, processed products, shortening, margarine and salad dressings / mayonaise.Quite apart from adding to your body’s Omega-6 overload, the high-heat, chemically-changing processing damages the delicate EFAs in the oils, introducing altered, unnatural fats (e.g. trans fats), which if consumed can wreak havoc in your body. The damage continues when the oil is then used in high-heat cooking, such as deep-frying. The final insult is that with the exception of sunflower oil, about 90% of EFA oils are from GMO seeds.
Which foods contain O6?
Linoleic acid (LA), which can be converted by enzymes to predominately inflammatory / “call-to-action” arachidonic acid (AA) is the most consumed dietary EFA comprising 70% of O6 intake (and up to 30% of consumed calories).
LA is mostly obtained from O6-rich soybean, sunflower, corn, and cottonseed OILS, margarine (partially hydrogenated vegetable oils) and shortening (hydrogenated vegetable oils).
Do we need to curb the amount of inflammatory / "call-to-action" O6 we eat?
| Which foods typically supply LA in U.S.? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | % | Food | % |
| Chicken / chicken dishes | 17% | Cold-cuts | 3% |
| Grain-based desserts (cakes, cookies, etc) | 9% | Pork / Pork dishes | 3% |
| Beef / beef dishes | 7% | Mexican dishes | 3% |
| Sausage, franks, bacon and ribs | 7% | Pizza | 3% |
| Fish / Fish dishes | 6% | Turkey | 3% |
| Burgers | 5% | Pasta / pasta dishes | 2% |
Studies reveal that the body may be limiting conversion of excess dietary O6 LA to inflammatory AA
Studies are indicating that our body may be dealing with our increased intake of O6 LA by limiting its conversion to the more inflammatory / actve form arachidonic acid (AA).
Additionally, IF we have consumed them, omega-3 fatty acids can block LA conversion to Omega-6 AA (and its subsequent production of predominately inflammatory eicosanoids).
