I keep reading about Essential Fatty Acids, particularly Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats. What is the difference between these and what foods contain them?
Dietary fats consist of mixtures of fatty acids, with different fats containing different mixtures of fatty acids. There are many different fatty acids but just two are considered essential for human health. These are called Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids and, as the body cannot synthesize them, they have to come from the foods we eat. Whilst these two fatty acids work closely together they have different functions and are not interchangeable. Omega-6 Fatty acids are found in many plant oils and few people are deficient in them, but Omega-3 Fatty acids are less commonly found in our diets and some people would benefit from supplementing their diet with them. For further information on this subject please see the article entitled ‘Essential Fatty Acids’ in the Information-Features section of this website.
Related Questions
- I keep reading about Essential Fatty Acids, particularly Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats. What is the difference between these and what foods contain them?
- What makes the Omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) so much more preferable to the health of the body than Omega-6 EFAs?
- Which foods supply the essential fatty acids - Omega-3 and Omega-6?
