Fatty acids are the building blocks of fat in the bodies and in the food which we eat. During digestion, our body breaks down fats into fatty acids, which can then be absorbed into our blood. Fatty acid molecules are usually combined jointly in groups of three by forming a molecule known as the triglyceride. Triglycerides are also formed in our bodies from the carbohydrates which we eat.
Fatty acids have many vital functions in the human body, including energy storage. If glucose (a type of sugar) is not available for energy, the body uses fatty acids to fuel the cells alternately.
The fact that fats play a prominent role in a healthy diet is often overlooked by many. Fat has developed a bad standing because of the different reports on the adverse effects on the health of nonessential fats and as a result of some people mistakenly cut out all kinds of fats from their diet. The best thing to know about this is that some fats are good for you while others are somewhat bad and it is important to be aware of which type is good for you and which type is bad. Good fats are required to build and support the healthy tissue in your body and also to promote, maintain healthy skin. Thus, it is the best idea to include the good fatty acids in your regular diet.
Types Of Fats Which Are Found In The Body
Fats can be divided into saturated fats and unsaturated fats. The unsaturated fats are further separated into monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, and there are further classifications like trans fats, cis fats, and omega fatty acids. What it comes down to, is that saturated fats and trans fats, which a type of unsaturated fat, are generally observed to be bad for your health, while most unsaturated fats are good for you.
Meanwhile, based on whether the body can build them, fatty acids can be divided into essential and non-essential fatty acids. The main variation between the two is that essential fatty acids cannot be built by the body and have to be absorbed through food or dietary supplements. Non-essential fatty acids can be built by the body although they can still be ingested from some of the food that we eat. Below you can know briefly about both essential and non-essential fatty acids.
What Are Essential Fatty Acids?
Essential fatty acids are, how they sound, fats that are important to the human body. Though you have apparently often heard about the word “fats” and associated it with bad health, there are few essential fatty acids that are required for your survival. Without them, it can cause serious damage to various systems within the human body. However, essential fatty acids are also not originated naturally within the body. This means that you have to obtain essential fatty acids by adding them to your diet. Few essential fatty acids include Omega 3, 6, 7, and 9.
What Are Non-Essential Fatty Acids?
There are some non-essential fatty acids which are useful for the body, and they can be produced by the body itself. The non-essential fatty acids which are simply classified as such because the human body can synthesize them from other nutrients like carbohydrates and other unsaturated fatty acids.
So, there is generally no need to bother including non-essential fatty acids in your diet. You only need to focus on the essential fatty acids, which cannot be produced by the human body.
Below You Can Know Everything About All The Essential Fatty Acids
What Is Omega-3 Fatty Acid?
Omega-3 fatty acid is an essential fatty acid that plays a prominent role in brain function and may aid you to fight against cardiovascular disease.
The human body can make most of the different fats it needs from other fats or raw materials. That isn’t the case for omega-3 fatty acids which is also known as omega-3 fats and n-3 fats.
Omega-3 fatty acids are a principal family of polyunsaturated fats. There are three main omega-3s they are
Eicosapentaenoic acid (also called as EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (also called as DHA) come mainly from fish, so they are sometimes known as marine omega-3s.
Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the most common omega-3 fatty acid in most Western diets, is found in vegetable oils and nuts (especially walnuts), flax seeds and flaxseed oil, leafy vegetables, and some animal fat, especially in grass-fed animals. The human body generally uses ALA for energy, and conversion into EPA and DHA is very little.
Food Sources Of Omega-3 Fatty Acid
- Salmon
- Flaxseed oil
- Soybean oil
- (Olive and canola oils can easily form part of our diet by adding them to vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, carrots, onions or potatoes or roasting them, thus leading to a healthy diet).
- Eggs
- Chia Seeds
- Hemp Seeds
- Cauliflower
- Brussels Sprouts
- Purslane
- Perilla Oil.
These above food sources have a lot of benefits in the human body. Eat healthy, stay healthy! You may know in a general way that omega-3 fatty acids are crucial for health, but have you ever know how it specifically helps?
Here Are Few Amazing Things They Can Do For Your Body
Omega-3 Fatty Acids Are Vital For Growing Babies And Children
Omega-3 fatty acids are important for brain development of the utero and growing child. Generally higher IQs in children have been linked to the higher quantity of omega-3 fatyy acids consumed during their mother’s pregnancy. This recommends that a good balance of omega-3s to omega-6s is especially crucial during pregnancy.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Help Avoid Cardiovascular Problems
Omega-3s have long been connected to better heart health. As you all know that using omega-3 fatty acid, you can prevent both primary and secondary cardiovascular diseases. This is exciting and important news, by eating oily fish (salmon, albacore tuna, mackerel, lake trout, herring or sardines) or taking omega 3 in the form of supplements twice a week you can lower the risk of coronary heart disease, cardiac arrest, heart failure and also stroke.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids Helps Dementia And Brain health
There is also some verification that omega-3 fatty acids could help avoid dementia. Whether that’s because dementia is linked to cardiovascular health, and a more direct link is that it could help both the heart and also brain. In fact, omega-3s are linked to bigger, healthier brains that body well for the aging body.
It Is Helpful For Teens Who Feel More Anxious When It Is Low In Their Body
An interesting fact that anxious links omega-3s generally teens low in this crucial nutrient are more likely to feel anxious. Considering that the teen years are already full enough of normal fears and anxiety, making sure they have sufficient amount of omega-3s in their regular diet can help prevent excessive anxiety.
As always, eating a well-balanced, nutrient-rich diet can help your body be healthy in many ways. Including foods rich in omega-3s can give your body a boost in preventative care.
What Is Omega-6 Fatty Acid?
Omega-6 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids that perform essential functions in the human body. They contribute to the structure and function of cell membranes and play a part in the regulation of gene activity inside the cell.
Food Sources Of Omega-6 Essential Fatty Acids (Linoleic Acid)
- Flaxseed oil, flaxseeds, flaxseed meal
- Hempseed oil, hemp seeds
- Nuts, including pignolia (pine) nuts and pistachios
- Grape seed oil
- Seeds such as pumpkin seeds and raw sunflower seeds oil
- Borage oil, evening primrose oil, black currant seed oil
- Acai
- Corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, and cottonseed oils are also good sources of linoleic acid, but are refined and may be deficient in some nutrients.
These above food sources have a lot of crucial advantages in a human body. You may know in a general way that omega-6 fatty acids are crucial for health, but have you ever know how it specifically helps?
Here Are Few Amazing Things Omega 6 Can Do For Your Body
- Reduces Cholesterol
- Fights Diabetes
- Maintain Bone Health
- Stimulate Hair Growth
- Good for The Reproductive System
- Helps In Nerve Pain
- Prevents Mastalgia
- Relief in PMS Symptoms
- Regulate Metabolism
- Stimulates Brain Function.
What Is Omega-7 Fatty Acid?
Omega-7 is one of the newer Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) to come into the public lexicon; everyone wants to know what exactly is it? The proper name is Palmitoleic Acid, to be more precise it is also known as “Omega-7″.
Whatever you call it, omega 7 is a nutrient that is very helpful for the health of the skin and is commonly marketed as part of a beauty regimen because of the great benefits for the connective tissues.
Food Sources Of Omega 7 Which Are Available Easily
- Sea buckthorn
- Macadamia oil
- Dandelion oil
- Avocado oil
- Pomegranate oil
- Tuna
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Anchovies
- Herring.
These above food sources have a lot of amazing benefits in the human body. You may know in a general way that omega-7 fatty acids are essential for health, but have you ever know how it specifically helps?
Benefits Of Omega 7 For Your Body
- It supports normal HDL cholesterol levels
- Omega 7 fatty acids reduce triglyceride levels
- There are a lot of benefits for glucose metabolism
- Helps in weight loss
- Useful for your skin by keeping your skin moisturized and increases collagen levels by preventing skin burns, eczema, lesions, abrasions and sun damage.
What is Omega 9 Fatty Acid?
Omega 9 fatty acids are included in animal fat and also vegetable oil, and they are one of the most significant sources of Omega 9. Omega 9 fatty acid belongs to a monounsaturated group of fats. It is also called as oleic acid.
Monounsaturated fatty acid is, in fact, an unsaturated acid which has double or triple valence per molecule on their carbon chain. Unsaturated acid is the type of acid whose carbon chain can absorb additional atoms of hydrogen.
However, Omega 9 is not one of the necessary fatty acids. The reason why it’s not as much as essential fatty acid like others is, in fact our body can build it in very small quantities. To produce Omega 9 fatty acid, our body needs Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. If we don’t have a certain level of these fatty acids in our body, then we are unable to produce Omega 9.
Below Are Few Food Sources Of Omega-9 Fatty Acid
- Almonds
- Avocados
- Cashews
- Hazelnuts
- Macadamia nuts
- Olives
- Peanuts
- Pecans
- Pistachio nuts
- Sesame oil
- It is also found in lard, butter, bacon fat, chicken fat.
Health Benefits Of Omega 9 For Your Body
- Improves inflammatory response
- Lowers the risk of hardening arteries
- Reduces the risk of insulin resistance
- Improves immunity
- Lowers the risk of cancer
- Maintains healthy nerves
- Lowers the risk of arthritis.
What About Taking Omega-3,6,7,9 supplements?
Generally, above foods contains all the omega-3,6,7,9. But to get the adequate amount of this fatty acids to your body, you can opt for supplements which are very safe. Inlife healthcare has all these supplements in the natural form and that are very safe and secure to use.
- Coconut oil
- Flaxseed and flaxseed
- Fish oil capsules
- Seabuckthorn
- Krill oil capsules
- Pumpkin seeds.
The significance of each fatty acid (Omega-3, Omega-6, or Omega 9), has sufficient body functions and for all of them to operate in the best possible way, they all need to cooperate. That is why to have enough Omega 9, one must also have a significant level of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.
Generally, human body is all about balance. The balance is needed for optimal performance of all our body’s components. Consuming Omega 3,6,7 and 9 supplements is necessary because this fatty acid is essential due to our body’s inability to create it. If you have any doubts regarding this, you can also consult your doctor before using these amazing supplements.