Health Benefits Of The Omega Essential Fats

Many nutritionists and health experts now believe that essential fats are absolutely vital to our health and wellbeing. Deficiency in these nutrients are key reasons why we have gradually become unhealthier over the past decades.

Essential fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids, known as the ‘good’ fats in contrast with the saturated or animal fats, which are linked to incidence of heart attacks They are essential for optimum health though they cannot be made by the body and must be obtained from the daily diet.

There are two types of essential fats : the Omega – 6 family which comes from the plant world, most abundantly found in pure vegetable oils, nuts, seeds and grains ; and the Omega – 3 family which is found in fish which swim in deep cold waters, such as salmon and herring.

Both Omega families provide special benefits. Research shows the omega – 3 fats lower cholesterol and can actually disperse deposits on the arteries, a fact which astonished the U.S. researchers who made the discovery. Omega – 3 fats are also known to improve the function of both the brain and eyes.

The Omega – 6 essential fats found in vegetable oils are responsible for most of the ‘good looking’ improvements such as glossier hair and clearer skin. Omega – 6 foods are also vital for cell structure of all cell membranes and the soft tissue of the brain and nervous system. In some way not yet clearly understood, Omega – 6 fatty acids interact with male and female hormones and a deficiency of them plays a part in infertility, depression, and premenstrual syndrome.