Essential fatty acids and human tissue composition. An overview

Essential fatty acids act as a structural fat and play an important role during the period of organ growth during fetal and postnatal life. Given the essential character of these fatty acids, their qualitative and quantitative intake and their interrelations contribute to the maintenance of different functions during the period of human development. The structural integrity of the cell membranes depends on the composition and total content of long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) of the membrane phospholipids. These LCPUFAs act as modular regulators of the permeability and fluidity of the membranes, are precursors of eicosanoids, may influence membrane enzymes and may affect signal transduction, neurotransmission and transport activities (1–4). The lipid composition of cellular membranes can change in relation to the LCPUFA supply, which is fundamentally that coming from the diet, thus influencing the growing tissues of different organs, although to varying degrees.