Properties, functions of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and relationship between essential fatty acids and cardiovascular diseases

Summary Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are essential for survival of humans and other mammals, and they can not be synthesized in the body; hence, they have to be obtained by the diet. There are two types of naturally occurring EFAs in the body, the omega-6 (ω-6) series derived from cis-linoleic acid and the omega-3 series (ω-3) derived from αlinolenic acid (ALA, 18:3). ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids display a variety of beneficial effects on various organ systems and diseases. The metabolism of EFAs is altered in several diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, and cancer. In this paper, we review both the structure properties and metabolisms of fatty acids and the relationship between EFAs and cardiovascular diseases.