Healthy vs. Unhealthy Fats

In the past few years, fat has acquired a bad name. But the truth is, while some types of fats are unhealthy, certain types of fat are actually vital for good health. One group of these healthy fats is the essential fatty acids or EFAs. They are found in certain unprocessed vegetable and plant oils, as well as fish oils. A mother's milk is also one of the richest sources known. EFAs or essential fatty acids are nutritional substances and like vitamins and minerals they have a far reaching effect on many of the bod's processes.

It is important to note, or remember that EFAs cannot be manufactured by the body and so they must be consumed in the diet. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that at least three percent of an adult's daily caloric intake be comprised of essential fatty acids, and the diets of children and pregnant women should be at least five percent.

EFAs are essential to the normal functioning of all body tissues! There are several types of essential fatty acids however the two EFAs that are in the spotlight today are linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid. Once reason these EFAs are important to your health is that they help balance the body's production of important chemical substances called prostaglandins. Scientists know of the existence of about 20 different prostaglandins and some recent findings indicate that prostaglandins influence hormones and affect the body processes at the cellular level, they relax smooth muscles of the female reproductive system, they can affect relaxation and contraction of the intestinal tract, bronchi and cardiovascular system. They influence gastric secretions and proper kidney functions and they affect the overall health of the skin. Some scientists believe that the therapeutic potential of prostaglandins is even greater than that of steroids.

Evening Primrose Oil is a good source of both of these EFAs. The essential fatty acids found in the oil of the primrose seeds are the secret to the oil's health building properties. EFAs are known to play a vital role in overall health. Evening primrose oil is a key source of EFAs and it can play an important part in the healing of various disease and disorders, because it helps the body to maintain a balance of the prostaglandins that are necessary for optimal health. Daily doses of Evening Primrose can only be beneficial to the human body.