Essential Fatty Acids

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are necessary fats that humans cannot synthesize and must be obtained through the diet.  There are two families of EFAs : Omega 3 and Omega 6.  Omega 9 is categorised as non-essential because the body can manufacture it on its own.  Many people are in a state of low levels of essential fatty acids.  They are needed for maintaining ...Read more proper cell membrane structure – which allows proper distribution of nutrients throughout your body.  Every living cell in the body needs essential fatty acids.

EFAs are taken for a variety of reasons.  They have an excellent track record for improving the painful symptoms of arthritis.  They can also help to lower heart disease risk.  It has been repeatedly noted in population studies that people who consume omega 3 consistently have a lower incidence of heart disease.  EFAs are also excellent to take for dry skin, asthma, moods and depression and concentration.

You can have your omega 3 levels checked with a test kit that is sold by The Nutri Centre. 

OMEGA 3 (Linolenic Acid)

Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) is the principal omega 3 fatty acid which the body converts to EPA and later into DHA.  Food sources can include oily fish, flaxseed, dark green leafy vegetables and seeds.  Oily fish can include sardines, anchovies, kippers, mackerel, sardines and herring.  Omega 3 has vital functions in various messenger systems in our bodies, including the endocrine and nervous systems and cell membrane activity. In other words, it helps the body to communicate with itself exactly what it needs to know and what needs to be done about it at every moment.
Flax oil contains the parent form of omega 3: alpha-linolenic acid. This parent form has a chain of 18 carbons in its structure, which means that although it retains some important health benefits, it is not long enough to be used by the endocrine system – to make eicosanoids such as prostaglandins to control day-to-day tissue function, including calming down inflammation and regulating reproductive health – nor by the brain and nervous system.

OMEGA 6 (Linoleic Acid)

Linoleic Acid is the primary omega 6 fatty acid.  The body converts this into GLA.  Food sources can include flaxseed, blackcurrant seed oil, olive oil, seeds and borage oil.


Omega 6 has a primary role in the health of our skin and nails, and together with omega 3 prostaglandins, the prostaglandins formed from omega 6 fatty acids help to regulate our reproductive organs. The parent form of omega 6 is linoleic acid (LA), rich in hemp oil and most nuts and seeds, but as with omega 3, this needs to be converted to be of full use to us.

Evening primrose oil (EPO) and borage oil both contain GLA, one of these converted forms, and is an option available to vegans and non-vegans to ensure we are reaping the benefits of our omega 6 consumption.

Modern western diets are generally much too heavy in omega 6 oils, but usually in the parent form, and so many of us would benefit from GLA supplementation. It is important that we do this alongside additional omega 3 oils, as if our ration of omega 6 to 3 is too high, then we may produce too many inflammatory prostaglandins, which can contribute to a range of chronic illnesses.

OMEGA 9

Omega 9 is available in the form of oleic acid in olive oil as well as other nut and seed oils. As we can make omega 9 it is not considered an essential fatty acid, but we do need enough omega 3 and omega 6 to do so.

Omega 9 has been linked to cardiovascular health, due to the history if healthy hearts in the Mediterranean countries where olive oil has been widely used. Note, however, that none of the omega oils, including olive oil, like to be heated, as it speeds up the rate at which they go rancid. For the same reason, it is important to find a source of all your omega oils where the production, packaging and storing methods have all protected the oils from heat and light.