Essential Fatty Acid

Essential Fatty Acid

Essential fatty acids, or EFAs, are fatty acids that humans and other animals must ingest because the body requires them for good health but cannot synthesize them. The term "essential fatty acid" refers to fatty acids required for biological processes, and not those that only act as fuel.

Only two EFAs are known for humans: alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid). Other fatty acids that are only "conditionally essential" include gamma-linolenic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid), lauric acid (a saturated fatty acid), and palmitoleic acid (a monounsaturated fatty acid).

When the two EFAs were first discovered in 1923, they were designated Vitamin F. In 1930, work by Burr G.O., Burr M.M. and Miller E. on rats showed that the two EFAs are better classified with the fats than with the vitamins.