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Characteristics of Essential Fatty Acids

Fatty acids are types of chemical compounds that we often absorb when we eat. Fatty acids may sound unhealthy, but their affect on our health depends on how they are structured, how much of them we eat and what their effect is on the human body.

  1. Polyunsaturated

    • Essential fatty acids are polyunsaturated; this means that there is more than one double bond of the COOH chemical composition that attaches to the CH3 head of the molecule. These COOH chains can extend out far from the start of the molecule, but they are double bonded if they attach to other parts of the chain at more than one point. No bonds mean the acid is saturated, while the presence of double bonds makes it unsaturated.

    Necessity

    • Essential fatty acids are called essential because we must eat these fatty acids. There are certain compounds that the human body cannot synthesize, or produce, on its own. Essential fatty acids are one of these compounds, and we must always ingest at least a small amount in order to survive.

    Developmental Effects

    • Essential fatty acids have a number of important developmental effects on the human body. The eyes and brains of infants quickly develop before and after birth, and infants require a certain amount of essential fatty acids in order to properly grow important nervous system components. These fatty acids are often included in baby formulas.

    Omega

    • While many people may know that omega-3 and omega-6 are terms applied to essential fatty acids, they may not know why. Fatty acids are identified by where their double bonds are (in polyunsaturated versions. The head of the molecule is known as the alpha area, while the last section of the chain is known as the omega portion. An omega-3 fatty acid has a double bond located only three carbons away from the last, or omega, carbon. The omega-6 fatty acid has its last double bond farther up the chain.

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