What are “essential” fatty acids and why are they important?
Experimental work in the 1930’s in animals and humans demonstrated that certain long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic and arachidonic, are essential for growth and good skin and hair quality. Now linoleic and linolenic acids are termed “essential” because they cannot be synthesized by the body and must be supplied in the diet. The requirement for these essential fatty acids has been demonstrated clearly in infants. While the minimum requirement has not been determined for adults, there is no doubt that they are essential nutrients. For the general population 3% of calories as linoleic acid is considered to be a satisfactory minimum intake. In the case of linolenic acid, the requirement for humans has been estimated to be 0.5% of calories.
