Even though it is much maligned, fat is an essential part of our 'balanced diet' as one of our three important macros - fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Fats provides fatty acids that are 'essential' to our health. They are termed 'Essential' Fatty Acids , as our bodies can't make them. We have to get them from food sources, and they play vital roles in keeping us healthy.
What do Dietary Fats do for us?
Let's discuss fats in general before we review Essential Fatty Acids. Fats perform vital functions like:
They help our body absorb vitamins that require fat to become soluble for absorption (fat soluble vitamins). These are Vitamins A, E, D, and K
They provide a source of cholesterol which is important for the production of Vitamin D, our sex hormones, and our adrenal hormones like cortisol, cortisone, aldosterone. Cholesterol also maintains our cell membranes which are vital for our health. Cholesterol also makes bile salts that digest dietary fats.
They provide sources of Omega 3 and Omega 6 Essential Fatty Acids that we cannot produce ourselves.
Different Types of Fat
Fat can be broken down into Saturated fats, Monounsaturated Fats, Polyunsaturated Fats, and Trans Fats. The below graphic describes them in detail and for the chemistry nerds out there, describes how they get their names from the ways they are constructed.
Image from: https://www.compoundchem.com/2015/08/25/fat/
Examples of Different Types of Dietary Fat
Classification of Fatty Acid | Omega type | Examples |
Monounsaturated Fatty Acids | Omega 9 | Olive oil, avocado oil, some nuts, almond butter |
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids | Omega 3 | Oily Fish, Fish oils, Walnuts are an excellent nut source, Flaxseed (or Linseeds) are an excellent seed source, Chia seeds, Sesame seeds, Soybean, Green leafy vegetables, avocado. |
​ | Omega 6 | Meat, poultry, eggs, vegetable oils, most nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds |
Saturated Fatty Acids | ​ | Animal fats, meats, cheese, dairy |
Trans Fats | ​ | Artificial sources like margarine, fried foods, cakes, commercially baked goods etc |
What are Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's)
Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's) are fats that can't be made by the body in sufficient amounts to be beneficial. We must eat them in the form of Polyunsaturated fats.
Polyunsaturated Fats provide Omega 3 and Omega 6 Essential Fatty Acids.
The end products of Omega 3 and Omega 6 metabolism, are compounds called eicosanoids, of which there are 4 classes listed below.
Eicosanoids from Omega 3 sources are anti-inflammatory, while eicosanoids from Omega 6 sources are pro inflammatory.
Pro-inflammatory responses participate in immune responses to injury and infections, but the response needs to be at 'appropriate' times, and not for chronic low grade inflammation commonly from our lifestyle and food choices.
Anti-inflammatory responses are vital for lowering blood pressure, preventing blood clotting, protecting against irregular heart beats, and reducing inflammation.
Additionally, Omega 3 acts to tone down Omega 6.
The 4 Classes of eicosanoids are:
Prostaglandins (PG) - producing hormone-like behaviour at sites of injury
Prostacyclins (PC) - promoting vasodilation and inhibits platelet aggregation
Thromboxanes (TX) - promoting vasoconstriction and platelet aggregation
Leukotrienes (LT) - playing a role in allergic disease, like asthma
The anti-inflammatory Omega 3 end products are:
EPA - Eicosapentaenoic acid which helps in cardiovascular health
DHA - Docosahexaenoic acid which is essential for brain or neurological health
Fun fact: Anti-inflammatory medications act by blocking receptors on the right-hand side of the diagram above, under arachidonic acid. Aspirin and NSAID's like Nurofen block COX receptors and Ventolin blocks LOX receptors. In this way they are blocking the pro-inflammatory pathways.
Essential Fatty Acid Deficiency
Certain conditions can become evident if we don't have diets providing essential fatty acids. Issues can occur with:
Skin lesions and dry, scaly skin rashes
Neurological and cognition issues
Vision issues
Reproductive issues
Growth issues
Susceptibility to infection
Poor wound healing
Chronic fat malabsorption
Pro-inflammatory conditions
Testing for Essential Fatty Acids
To determine if your diet is balanced as far as Essential Fatty Acids are concerned, we can order an Omega 3 index test, which looks at the composition of Omega's in our red blood cell membranes. It is calculated as the percentage of:
(Omega 3 EPA + Omega 3 DHA)/ Total Fatty Acids expressed as a percentage
If you eat a lot of meat, and don't like oily fish, then please consider adding walnuts and linseeds to your diet to boost your Omega 3 levels - they are essential fatty acids for your health.
If you would like to discuss your diet and whether you are getting a balanced intake of Essential Fatty Acids, then please don't hesitate to make a booking with me.
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References:
A guide to the different types of fat, https://www.compoundchem.com/2015/08/25/fat/
Essential Fatty Acids and Eicosanoids, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-nutrition/chapter/2-34-essential-fatty-acids-eicosanoids/
The end products of the Omega 3 pathway, https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Omega-3-fatty-acid-metabolism-The-end-products-of-the-omega-3-pathway-include_fig1_305735297
Essential Fatty Acids, https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/other-nutrients/essential-fatty-acids
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