α-Linolenic acid in health and disease

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Abstract
There are 2 series of polyunsaturated fatty acids that are deemed essential: the n−6 and n−3 series. Although plants can synthesize both the basic n−6 and n−3 structures, animals lack this capacity and must obtain them from dietary sources. Deficiency of the n−6 fatty acid linoleic acid leads to poor growth, fatty liver, skin lesions, and reproductive failure (1). In contrast, the symptoms of n−3 α-linolenic acid deficiency are more obscure and have only been well demarcated in experimental animals and human infants. n−3 Fatty acid deficiency causes reduced vision, abnormal electroretinogram results, and, perhaps, impaired cognition and behavior (2).