Fatty acids may sound harmful and toxic to the human body but in all reality they are actually required to maintain healthy levels of liquid in blood. Fatty acids are produced when fats from food are broken down. Fatty acids can be found in the oils and fats of foods we consume.
Fatty acids are considered good fats. They are necessary for proper clotting and regulated blood pressure. Another important function is controlling inflammation in cases of infection or injury. Essential fatty acids can also help the immune system to react properly. The acids are proven to help keep skin healthy, prevent early aging and help maintain a healthy weight by helping to process cholesterol in the body. good fats raise your HDL or “good cholesterol”. One of the jobs of this High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) or “good cholesterol” is to grab your bad cholesterol, LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein), and escort it to the liver where it is broken down and excreted.
Fatty acids also help oxygen through the bloodstream to all parts of the body. These fatty acids can also aid cell membranes which is essential for strong tissue and organs. In other words, these good fats attack some of the damage already done by the bad fats. This is very important in an age when so many Americans are struggling to get their cholesterol down, and fight heart disease and obesity. Since they cannot be made in the body from other substrates and must be supplied in food, they are called essential fatty acids. Mammals lack the ability to introduce double bonds in fatty acids beyond carbons 9 and 10. Hence linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid are essential fatty acids for humans.
In the body, essential fatty acids are primarily used to produce hormone-like substances that regulate a wide range of functions, including blood pressure, blood clotting, blood lipid levels, the immune response, and the inflammation response to injury infection. Essential fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids and are the parent compounds of the omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acid series, respectively. They are essential in the human diet because there is no synthetic mechanism for them. Humans can easily make saturated fatty acids or monounsaturated fatty acids with a double bond at the omega-9 position, but do not have the enzymes necessary to introduce a double bond at the omega-3 position or omega-6 position.
This is why we need theses fatty acids in our body and why many of us tend to lack them. Fatty acids are proven to be an overall required supplement to maintain a heathly life it is important to contact your doctor before you begin to take them. Of course we have a natural ingestion of theses fats some like Omega’s can be taken over the counter. Your doctors opinion on the proper doses are advised for more information on fatty acids please visit http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-fatty-acids.htm.
