Plants make enzymes that ‘insert’ a double bond into (desaturate) fatty acids at positions w3 and w6 to make w3 and w6 fatty acids, but humans do not produce these enzymes. This means that LA and ALA are not essential
The usefulness of LA and ALA in our body results from their chemical properties.
EFAs attract oxygen. This property made EFA-rich oils useful to the paint industry as ‘drying’ oils, which dry and harden when exposed to air. Oils commonly