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EFA (Essential Fatty
Acid) Requirement
  EFA / Essential Fatty Acid Deficiency
 Signs, symptoms, indicators
 Conditions that suggest it
 Contributing risk factors
 It can lead to...
 Treatment recommendations
 


Please refer to the discussion of this topic in the Recommendations/Treatments section. This knowledge will help you decide what you should do as you read about "Essential Fatty Acids" there.





SpacerSigns, symptoms & indicators of EFA (Essential Fatty Acid) Requirement:
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Supplements and MedicationsIcon  Aspirin is effective pain reliever

Symptoms - Food - Preferences
Icon  Fatty food craving

Symptoms - Head - Ears
Icon  (Some/much) ear wax accumulation

Symptoms - Metabolic
Icon  Sun-induced headaches

Symptoms - Muscular
Icon  Leg cramps caused by walking
Icon  Tightness across shoulders

Symptoms - Nails
Icon  Brittle fingernails

Symptoms - Skin - Conditions
Icon  History of adult acne

Symptoms - Skin - General
Icon  Thin/thick cracked heel calluses
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SpacerConditions that suggest EFA (Essential Fatty Acid) Requirement:
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AutoimmuneIcon  Diabetes Type I

Circulation
Icon  Poor/Slow Wound Healing
SpacerWhy Failure to provide either omega-6 or omega-3 fatty acids in the diet results in poor wound healing.

Infections
Icon  Yeast / Candida Infection

Inflammation
Icon  Chronic Inflammation
SpacerWhy In order to maintain proper balance of the antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory prostaglandins (PGE1 and PGE3) with the pro-spasmodic and pro-inflammatory prostaglandins (PGE2), it is critical to have the proper balance of essential fatty acids. Without adequate amounts of both Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils in the diet, prostaglandin production will be reduced and problems may result.

Lab Values
Icon  High Total Cholesterol

Nutrients
Icon  EFA (Essential Fatty Acid) Type 6 Requirement
Icon  EFA (Essential Fatty Acid) Type 3 Requirement

Skin-Hair-Nails
Icon  Dry skin
Icon  Dandruff
SpacerWhy A diet low in essential fatty acids can result in skin problems, such as dandruff.

Icon  Male Hair Loss
SpacerWhy Essential fatty acid deficiency can results in dry, brittle hair and hair thinning or loss.

Icon  Female Hair Loss
SpacerWhy Essential fatty acid deficiency can results in dry, brittle hair and hair thinning or loss.

Icon  Adult Acne

Uro-Genital
Icon  Fibrocystic Breast Disease
SpacerWhy Fatty acid profiles may be abnormal in women with fibrocystic breast disease. Treatment with essential fatty acids may help to normalize this. [Plasma fatty acid profiles in benign breast disorders. Br J Surg, 1992 May, 79:5, pp.407-9]
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SpacerRisk factors for EFA (Essential Fatty Acid) Requirement:
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Symptoms - Food - IntakeIcon  (High) hydrogenated fat consumption
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SpacerEFA (Essential Fatty Acid) Requirement can lead to:
TopleftSpacerTopright
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CirculationIcon  Poor/Slow Wound Healing
SpacerWhy Failure to provide either omega-6 or omega-3 fatty acids in the diet results in poor wound healing.
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SpacerRecommendations and treatments for EFA (Essential Fatty Acid) Requirement:
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DigestionIcon  Digestive Enzyme (Trial)

Nutrient
Icon  Essential Fatty Acids
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KEY
PlusSpacerWeak or unproven link
PlusSpacerStrong or generally accepted link
PlusSpacerProven definite or direct link
TickSpacerLikely to help
TickSpacerHighly recommended



GLOSSARY

Anti-inflammatory (Antiinflammatory)
Reducing inflammation by acting on body mechanisms, without directly acting on the cause of inflammation, e.g., glucocorticoids, aspirin.

Antispasmodic
Preventing spasms.

Benign
Literally: innocent; not malignant. Often used to refer to cells that are not cancerous; they tend to grow slowly and don't spread (metastasize) like cancer tumors do.

Essential Fatty Acid (EFA, EFAs, Essential Fatty Acids)
A substance that the human body cannot manufacture and therefore must be supplied in the diet.

Fatty Acids (Fatty Acid)
Chemical chains of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms that are part of a fat (lipid) and are the major component of triglycerides. Depending on the number and arrangement of these atoms, fatty acids are classified as either saturated, polyunsaturated, or monounsaturated. They are nutritional substances found in nature which include cholesterol, prostaglandins, and stearic, palmitic, linoleic, linolenic, eicosapentanoic (EPA), and decohexanoic acids. Important nutritional lipids include lecithin, choline, gamma-linoleic acid, and inositol.

Prostaglandin (Prostaglandins)
Any of a class of physiologically active substances present in many tissues, with effects such as vasodilation, vasoconstriction, stimulation of the smooth muscles of the bronchus or intestine, uterine stimulation; also involved in pain, inflammation, fever, allergic diarrhea, and dysmenorrhea. A potent hormone -- similar in structure to an unsaturated fatty acid -- that acts in extremely low concentrations on local target organs; first isolated from the prostate.




Last updated: Jan 03, 2010
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