Is the Term-Essential Fatty Acid-Still Useful in Human Nutrition?

Abstract

Presently, it seems fair to say that the nutrition community has a floating definition of essential fatty acids (EFA). My view is that, at the best, the term EFA is used too broadly and too loosely to be truly useful; at the worst, I feel that it actually has impeded progress in three ways: (1) In understanding the equivalent though distinctive importance of w3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to w6 PUFA. (2) In understanding the conditional need for long chain polyunsaturates (LC-PUFA) in human infant development. (3) In recognizing the biological roles of non-EFA. Some recognize only linoleate and α-linolenate as EFA, others include LC-PUFA as EFA, especially during infancy. Still others include as EFA one or more intermediate PUFA with important health attributes, i.e. eicosapentaenoate. No common standards seem to exist making this ambiguity confusing and unworkable. It is now time to develop a classification that implicitly addresses the conditional need for PUFA under defined circumstances. 'Conditionally dispensable' and 'conditionally indispensable' fatty acids are proposed as new terms to replace the term-EFA.