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
To unfold some of their functions, LA and ALA must first be converted into EFA derivatives, or into prostaglandins. These conversions require vitamins B3, B6 and C and the minerals magnesium and zinc. Other vitamins and minerals may also modify
In ways that are poorly understood and require further study, EFAs seem to be involved in electron and energy transport. EFAs are involved in the transport (esterification) of cholesterol. ALA and its derivatives can lower elevated blood fats (serum triglycerides)
EFAs are part of all cell membranes. They help hold proteins in the membrane by the electrostatic attractive forces of their double bonds, and thus they are involved in the traffic of substances in and out of our cells via
Much is still unknown about the functions of EFAs in our body. Of the two, LA has been studied far more extensively than ALA. Both are difficult to work with, because they are easily destroyed, but ALA is five times
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
In our frenzy to avoid killer fats, we can easily forget the fats that heal – those fats that we must obtain from foods in order to be healthy. The key components of healing fats are the essential fatty acids