Polyunsaturated Fat

Polyunsaturated Fat refers to fatty acids with multiple double bonds in their chemical structure.

Types of Polyunsaturated Fats
Fats are categorized by the number of carbons in them, the number of double bonds, and the placement of the double bonds in their chemical structures. A fat with 18 carbons and 3 double bonds is notated (18:3). If the fat is an omega-6 fatty acid, it is notated as "n-6." Likewise, an omega-3 fatty acid is written as "n-3."

The following are all polyunsaturated fats:
 * Linoleic Acid (LA) (18:2n-6)
 * Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA) (18:3n-3)
 * Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA) (18:3n-6)
 * Stearidonic Acid (SDA) (18:4n-3)
 * Eicosadienoic Acid (20:2)
 * Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) (20:5n−3)
 * Docosadienoic Acid (22:2)
 * Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) (22:6n−3)

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Omega-3 Fatty Acids
 * Omega-6 Fatty Acids

External articles

 * PM Kris-Etherton, Denise Shaffer Taylor, Shaomei Yu-Poth, Peter Huth, Kristin Moriarty, Valerie Fishell, Rebecca L Hargrove, Guixiang Zhao, and Terry D Etherton, "Polyunsaturated fatty acids in the food chain in the United States," American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2000;71(suppl):179S–88S.