Fatty acids, the constituent elements of lipids, are essential to our body for many other functions in addition to their caloric intake. Fats are, for all intents and purposes, the most energy-rich macronutrients, as they provide 9 kcal (37 kJ) per gram.
There is an ever-increasing awareness of the potential beneficial effects on the state of health of some types of fatty acids: the "essential fatty acids", which must be introduced with nutrition because humans do not possess the enzymes necessary to produce them. These are α-linoleic acid (omega 3polyunsaturated fatty acid) and linoleic acid (omega 6polyunsaturated fatty acid).
