EFAs or Essential Fatty Acids are involved with producing energy in our body from food nutrients, and carrying that energy throughout our system. They are responsible for growth, vitality, and brain health.
They are important in the process of oxidation (the `burning’ of food to produce the energy required for life processes).
They are also important in oxygen transfer, hemoglobin production, and control of nutrients through cell membranes. They make recovery time from fatigue shorter and are also crucial in preventing damage from hard fats, in fact they are anti-sticky and tend to disperse.
EFAs play a role in almost every function of our body. They are called ‘Essential’ because they are necessary to our body but it cannot produce them so we need to take them through our diet (from food or supplements). Almost all the polyunsaturated fat in the human diet are EFA. Some of the food sources are fish and shellfish, flaxseed (linseed), hemp oil, soya oil, canola (rapeseed) oil, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, leafy vegetables, and walnuts.
EFAs are grouped in Omega-3 and Omega-6:
Omega- 3 helps prevent and fight heart disease, cancer, depression, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, ulcers, diabetes and other diseases. They increase your ability to concentrate as well as your energy levels. Omega-3 can be found in flaxseed and walnuts but the most beneficial form of Omega-3 is found in fish oil and contains 2 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, which are essential in preventing and fighting both physical and mental illness. Cod liver oil is an especially good source in form of supplement. The main difference with fish oil is that cod liver oil provides also vitamin D and A.
DHA and EPA are 2 types of Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids:
EPA is obtained in the human diet by eating oily fish or fish oil (cod liver, herring, mackerel, salmon and sardine) or derived from dietary alpha-linoleic acid found also in hemp oil and flax oil. It is also found in human breast milk. Fish do not naturally produce EPA, but obtain it from the algae they consume. EPA is therefore available to humans also from some non-animal sources such as spirulina and microalgae which are an excellent alternative sources of EPA and other fatty acids, since fish often contain toxins such as mercury.
DHA is metabolized to form the docosanoids, which comprise several families of potent hormones. DHA is a major fatty acid present in sperm and brain phospholipids, as well as in the retina. Regular intake of DHA may reduce the risk of heart disease by reducing the level of blood triglycerides in humans. Low levels of DHA result in reduction of brain serotonin levels and have been associated also with ADHD, Alzheimer’s disease and depression. There is mounting evidence that DHA supplements may be effective in healing from such diseases. DHA is the most abundant omega 3 fatty acid (polyunsaturated fatty acid) in the brain and retina.
Nutritional research found that 3 months of daily supplementation with DHA – found in cod liver oil and plain fish oil – produces a ‘clinically significant’ improvement in insulin sensitivity in overweight people. Other studies have shown that fish oil might help protect against diabetes.
The human brain is also highly dependent on DHA – low DHA levels have been linked to depression, schizophrenia, memory loss, and a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Research has found that people who suffer from depression who received a daily dose of 1 gram of an omega-3 fatty acid such as cod liver oil for 12 weeks experienced a decrease in their symptoms, such as anxiety, sadness and sleeping problems.
Omega-6 include Linoleic Acid (LA) and Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA). They are found in soy, corn, sunflower and other oils. GLA, in particular, found in evening primrose oil, blackcurrant seeds oil, borage oil, hemp oil and spirulina is associated with curing a variety of inflammation-related diseases. Excessive production of Omega-6 is associated with heart attacks, thrombotic stroke, arrhythmia, arthritis, osteoporosis, inflammation, mood disorders and cancer. Many of the anti-mania medications used to treat bipolar disorder work by targeting the Arachidonic Acid or AA (an Omega-6) in the brain.
Generally our diet contains far too much omega 6 fats. Modern Western diets typically have ratios of Omega-6 to Omega-3 in excess of 10 to 1, some as high as 30 to 1. The optimal ratio is thought to be 4 to 1 or lower.
Omega-3 should be an essential part of our diet.
To buy Omega-3 supplements now visit my e-store and check the ‘Omega-3′ section and the ‘Cod liver Oil’ subsection.
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That is nice to finally find a site where the blogger knows what they are talking about.