What you May not know about Fatty Acids

This week I am going to devote five blogs exclusively to essential fatty (omega 3's and 6's) acids because they are not given credit for all the things they accomplish in the body. Even the FDA has not recognized their full importance to the body. (Shame on them!)

 Did you know that fatty acids were originally considered Vitamin F when they were first discovered in 1923? Later, they were classified as fats.  Now, finally, they are getting their due respect as therapeutic nutrients for the body from respected health authorities.

Our bodies don’t manufacture fatty acids naturally, so we need to obtain them from healthy foods, (or good quality fish oil supplements) which is why they are called essential fatty acids. Every single cell in our bodies is made from this source of fat.  There are 20 different types of fatty acids, but they are all derived from these two basic fatty acids called alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3) and alpha-linoleic acid (omega-6).

So what do these fats do for us?  A better question might be: What don’t they do for us?  More coming on all this week. If you must go out and buy them right now, Nordic Naturals and Carlson Labs are a few of many superior brands available and tested for purity.