Fatty Acids

Essential Fatty Acid Deficiency

Essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency is rare; it most commonly occurs in infants fed with diets low in EFA ^[3].

The main causes of essential fatty acid deficiency are ^[1,2]:

• Feeding infants with skim milk formula
• Chronic fat malabsorption in cystic fibrosis
• Severe malnutrition
• Low-fat diet (<5% energy from fats)

Symptoms of essential fatty acid deficiency include dry scaly rash, soft nails, slow wound healing, increased susceptibility for infections, short-term memory loss, difficulty concentrating,  fainting, decreased visual acuity, sexual dysfunction and impaired growth in children ^[1,2].

Diagnosis of essential fatty acid deficiency can be made by finding increased eicosatrienoic acid : arachidonic acid ratio (>0.2) in the blood ^[1].

Treatment of essential fatty acids deficiency may include consuming walnut oil, which is high in both linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) ^[2] or a combination of sunflower or corn oil (high in linoleic acid) and oily fish or fish oil supplements, which are high in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) (which are produced from ALA in the body and are responsible for the main effects of ALA).