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Once You Apply The Definition of Essential Fatty Acid You Set The Stage For Perfect Health.
This page about the ESSENTIAL FATTY ACID we´ll be covering: what are Essential Nutrients ; what is Essential Fatty Acids and their types; sources of Linoleic and Alfa Linolenic acids; the functions Essential Fatty Acids have in the body; Good and Bad eicosanoids; my final 5 suggestions for proper eicosanoidal balance.
Essential Nutrients.Before we get into the definition of Essential Fatty Acid, it is relevant to have an idea of what an ESSENTIAL NUTRIENT is. When the absence of any nutrient changes the normal body functioning, it is called an Essential Nutrient.We need them in our diet for optimal body operation. These ESSENTIAL Nutrients include vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and amino acids. The essential nutrients can change the normal operation of the body if there is a deficiency or an excess. When we get too much iron, for example, we develop excess oxidation. Some other times the body itself can get rid of overloads of these essential nutrients, like in the case of vitamin C. Sometimes not and we become intoxicated with them. ESSENTIAL FATTY ACID.From the above, it can be easy understood the definition of ESSENTIAL fatty acids. Any fatty acid who´s absence affects the normal operation of the body and can not be produce by the body, fits the definition of ESSENTIAL fatty acid. They have to come from food. There are two kinds of essential fatty acids: Omega 6 and Omega 3. They are derived from linoleic and alfa linolenic acids, respectively. When discovered, early last century, they were called Vitamin F. Later they were reclassified as fats. Sources of Essential Fatty Acids.Omega 6 fatty acids come basically from all grains, its oils and many vegetables. Omega 3 fatty acids are found in some plants, in some vegetables, in small quantities, and in bigger amounts in cold water fish. That is, oily fish- salmon, rainbow trout, sardines, and mackerel-, flax, pumpkin seeds, soy, canola oil and walnuts. It is important to keep in mind that one of the big differences between omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids is the availability in the market. Omega 6 are normally in big supply because they are easily kept, they don’t become rancid fast at normal temperatures. Omega-6 oils are more abundant in corn, and vegetable oils, which are used in frying foods, and are hydrogenated to produce margarine and other cooking oils. They also prove to have a longer shelf life than omega-3 fatty acids, and as such the omega-3 fatty acids are removed from most processed foods today. By contrast, Omega 3 are difficult to maintain and expensive to buy. As a result we are overloaded with omega 6 fatty acids, they are ever present in our diets. Even if we don’t want them, they are almost impossible to avoid. 
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACID FUNCTIONSWe could not complete this page about the definition of essential fatty acid without some words about the important FUNCTIONS of essential fatty acids. The fatty acids ingested in the diet are present in every cell of the body. Omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids form in the cells hormone-like compound called eicosanoids. There are omega 6 and omega 3 eicosanoids, which are also called bad and good eicosanoids, respectively. According to the omega 6 and omega 3 supply in your diet, you produce more or less good or bad eocosanoids. That is why it is crucial to have a proper balance of omega 6/omega 3 ratio, close to 1/1. These very important eicosanoids regulate the following functions:
We can see very clearly how important is to have a balance of good and bad eicosanoids. For example, we don’t want to have too much blood clotting that could make us prone to heart attacks. Neither we want to have little clotting, in case we have an accident. The same happens with the other eicosanoids, a good balance is significant. We can see now what goes on in our body when we eat pasta, breads, cakes, corn oil, etc. They are all full of omega 6. Since the vegetables we eat already have omega 6 in proper amounts, when we overdosed in omega 6 rich foods, like our modern diets do, day after day, we become sick. For more see my page on Omega 3 benefits. These essential fatty acids eicosinoids balance affects EVERY function of our body:
Degenerative diseases, like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, accelerated aging, etc., are driven by this important balance in the omega 6 to omega 3 ratio. 
4 Steps for Maximize The Benefits of Omega 3We could not finish this page about the definition of essential fatty acids without some final suggestions about how to maintain proper eicosanoidal balance.
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