Essential fatty acids, or EFAs, are fatty acids that humans and - TopicsExpress



          

Essential fatty acids, or EFAs, are fatty acids that humans and other animals must ingest because the body requires them for good health but cannot synthesize them.[1] The term essential fatty acid refers to fatty acids required for biological processes but does not include the fats that only act as fuel.Only two fatty acids are known to be essential for humans: alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid).[2][3] Some other fatty acids are sometimes classified as conditionally essential, meaning that they can become essential under some developmental or disease conditions; examples include docosahexaenoic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and gamma-linolenic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid).When the two EFAs were discovered in 1923, they were designated vitamin F, but in 1929, research on rats showed that the two EFAs are better classified as fats rather than vitamins.[3]
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 09:42:40 +0000

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