Essential fatty acids are so called because they are essential to human health but maynot actually be made, unlike most other nutrients, by the body. So they must be provided from our food or as a quality supplement from a reputable and reliable source

Essential fatty acids are found in fish oils and a variety of seed oils. There are two families of these essential fatty acids:

Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids

Omega 6 Essential Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids 3 & 6 are the building blocks of all necessary fats. They are required to help build the membranes of all cells in the body, to strenthen immune cells, to help lubricate joints. Essential fatty acids also insulate the body against heat loss, prevent skin from drying, provide energy and produce prostaglandins.

Prostaglandins are hormone-like substances necessary for energy metabolism, cardiovascular and immune system health and have incredible anti-inflammatory properties among many other things.

There are two omega 3 essential fatty acids called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosaheaenoic acid (DHA). Found in cold water fish and other northern marine animals.

There are also plant sources of precursors to essential acids EPA and DHA. Flax seed, hemp, walnut and soybean oil contain omega 3 essential fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which may be converted through several stages into EPA and than into DHA.

Essential fatty acid ALA may be stored in the body until required. Flax seed oil is the highest plant source of omega 3 essential fatty acids (57%) also containing about 16% of omega 6.

There are probably other plant sources of omega 3 precursors. As many cultures never eat fish or animal products yet show very little sign of deficiency of key-group fats from a strictly vegetable diet. They live virtually disease-free and active to 120 or more years of age. They show no signs of essential fatty acid EPA deficiency.

Of course, the body has to work to make essential fatty acids convertions and in the weakened system it may be better to take the preformed omega 3. But those who wish to avoid animal products have support from the fact that the healthiest, longest-lived peoples on Earth are vegetarian cultures.

Omega 3 essential fatty acids EPA and DHA provide the following benefits:

Being highly unsaturated, they have a strong urge to disperse. This tendency of their molecules to move apart is so strong that they help disperse saturated fatty acids, which like to stick together.

This dispersion is beneficial because lumps of fat in the blood dampen electrical charges. They also keep blood platelets from getting to sticky. The result is less liklihood of cloths that may cause heart attack or stroke. As written in Fats That Heal - Fats That Kill by Erasmus Udo.

Essential fatty acids omega 3 appear to lower the levels of certain repair proteins in the arteries. Presence of repair proteins is an indicator of mycotoxins in the blood, thus you may conclude that EPA and DHA are antimycotoxic.

Since repair proteins are involved in the vigorous development of sclerotic (hardened) tissue in arteries, lowered levels means less toxicity and result in less atherosclerosis.

Essential fatty acids omega 3 may lower high triglycerides. They somewhat lower the levels of cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). And they may lower very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) by half.

High trygliceryde levels and especialy LDL and VLDL are associated with cardiovascular disease: high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart and kidney failure, stroke and heart attack.

From essential fatty acid EPA our body makes prostaglandin PG3. Prostaglandins are extremly important substances which mimic hormones and which may influence the function of any cell.

They are involved in many hormonal responces and in the inflamatory responce. PG3 prostaglandins help prevent strokes and heart attacks. They lower high blood pressure by blocking the production of pressure-raising PG2 which come from diets high in beef, pork, lamb, chicken ect.

Other problems helped by PG3 are ones that involve clot formation such as blood clotting in the lungs and blood vessel complications accompanying diabetes, which may result in gangrene and blindness.

The omega 6 essential fatty acids
These consist of linoleic acid (LA) and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) are found in the seeds of borage, evening primorse, sunflower and black currant.

Borage seed oil contains up to 24% GLA, more than twice as much as evening primorse oil. It also contains about 34% LA.

Omega 6 essential fatty acids (LA and GLA) may provide the following benefits:

Lower blood pressure, blood cholesterol level and risk of stroke and heart attacks.

Normalize fat metabolism in diabetes and decrease the amount of insulin required by diabetes.

May prevent liver damage due to alcoholism. Also help hangover and the withdrawal symptoms of discontinuing the abuse of alcohol.

Essential fatty acid GLA is the building block of dihomo gamma-linolenic acid, the parent of the beneficial prostaglandin PG1 family. Essential fatty acid GLA may help provide suportive treatment for schizophrenics who have low levels of prostaglandin E1.

Essential fatty acids omega 6 cause weight loss by increasing metabolic rate and fat burn-off.

Remove premenstrual breast pain (mastalgia) and premenstrual syndrome, which involves bloating, irritability and depression. Sometimes leading to aggressive behavior. Borage oil plus vitamins and minerals may lead to improvement in almost 90% of sufferers.

Prevent drying and atrophy of tear and salivary glands (sjogren's syndrome).

Prevent arthritis in animals, based on the fact that increased prostaglandin E1 prevents arthritis.

Improve the condition of hair, nails and skin.

Essential fatty acids omega 6 improve certain kinds of eczema.

May help slow down deterioration in multiple sclerosis, especially if the program is started soon after initial diagnosis.

Essential fatty acids omega 6 help to treat nerve degeneration (diabetic neurophaty) in type 2 diabetes, assuming removal of sugar and saturated fats.