Essential Fatty Acids

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Abstract
Many experiments in this field have been carried out with animals about which too little was known. The exact age of the animal, the maternal diet, the mother''s care of their young, humidity, season of the year, and opportunity for coprophagy are data which may be very important for the interpretation of experimental results. The author reviews the metabolism of essential fatty acids, and their biological functions, e. g., as building stones in tissues and memoranes,in the transport of other lipids, and in relation to enzyme systems, as well as the macroscopic and microscopic symptoms of deficiency, occurrence, and chemistry. Essential fatty acids are necessary in the diet of human infants. A probable figure for an adequate daily supply is of the order of about 4% of the dietary calories as linoleic acid. For adults it is generally agreed that a reasonable variation in the diet will supply the necessary amounts under normal conditions.
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