EFAs and their health benefits
Essential fatty acids, or EFAs, are one of the things that must be incorporated in your daily diet. There are two known EFAs: (1) alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA, and (2) linoleic acid, or LA. These fatty acids are not like other bioactive chemicals that are often associated with energy production. Instead, ALA and LA are of utmost importance to physiological processes, and their presence significantly impacts chemical reactions involved in inflammatory responses, neuronal activities, and cardiovascular health. Many other metabolic activities rely on adequate amounts of EFAs, but the human body does not possess the needed enzymes to biosynthesize both ALA and LA. Hence, essential fatty acids are solely derived from the foods you eat.
Balances Inflammatory Substances
There is scientific consensus that essential fatty acids have a direct influence on inflammation. In fact, these organic compounds are almost always linked to eicosanoid metabolism, and are highly regarded as the foremost exogenous compounds to aid escalating inflammation. In fact, they are the only direct precursors of many different groups of eicosanoids, including prostaglandins, prostacyclins, thromboxanes, and leukotrienes. These eicosanoids are not mass produced by the body in the presence of fatty acids, but rather released by demand. Keeping a balance among all groups of eicosanoids is the key to well-regulated healing process mediated by inflammation. The absence of EFAs compromises the restorative capacity of cells while an excess often contributes to circulatory problems, abnormal blood pressure, arthritis, and high lipid levels in the blood.
EFAs And Neurological Function
Normalizes Neuronal Excitability
Essential fatty acids produce a homeostatic effect on chemical compounds present in the central nervous system. While the exact mechanisms which EFAs participate in are not fully understood, it is widely accepted that they have something to do with long-term potentiation. This is the reason why EFAs have been considered to have no-tropic properties that enhance memory capacity and mental clarity. Also, they have been tied to their medicinal potential against mental disorders, especially depression. It has long been postulated that EFAs modulate cell signaling, notably retrograde signaling. One hypothesis that is getting popular in scientific circles is that EFAs regulate the cell signaling activities of lipid rafts within the lipid bilayer of cell membranes. In the central nervous system, they maintain strong signal transcription between neurons through retrograde signaling.
EFAs And Cardiovascular health
Promotes Cardiovascular Health
Many patients of coronary heart disease have benefited from clinical administrations of EFAs, and studies continue to scrutinize its purported role in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. There are many different possible ways that EFAs could have an influence on in promoting heart health. One of the more commonly known is its alleged role in curbing homocysteine levels in the blood. People with high homocysteine levels have been noted to be more susceptible to the appearance of plaques in the blood vessel walls. A growing body of literature points to the role of EFAs in regulating lipids, especially the presence of free fatty acids in the blood as a result of high LDL, or bad cholesterol.
EFA’s Should be an essential part of everybody’s diet. If you are not getting your needed EFAs, a simple supplement can help you meet those needs and more!