Essential Fatty Acids -- The Key To Health, Part I
Although the body readily makes most of the fat that it needs from dietary starch or sugar, humans lack the ability to make essential fatty acids (EFAs) and must get them in food. EFAs are found in all foods but are most abundant in certain oils, according to Dr. Leo Galland in "Essential Fatty Acids--The Key To Health." They come in two distinct families, based upon their chemical structure. The two EFA families are not interchangeable and, in fact, tend to compete with one another in the body's metabolic pathways. The larger family, called "omega-six" EFAs, are abundant in many vegetable seed oils, including corn, sunflower and safflower. Deficiency of omega-six EFAs causes impairment of growth and fertility, hormonal disturbances and immunologic abnormalities. An excess of omega-six EFAs may promote the development of cancer. ...  

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