Elizabeth wrote in response to

> > According to the above definition of essential, there are only >two
> > essential fats ...omega 3... linoleic acid.
> >
> > well, if u say these are essential, what are they used for, in and of
> > themselves?

this:
> I think in her discussion of fats on the westonaprice.org site Mary Enig
> mentions that the essential fatty acids are also used as themselves in cell
> membranes.

Yes, and cell membranes action are strongly linked to insulin resistance and cholesterol
use and somewhat to cancer.

And much more than this LA, 18:2 (omega-6 !) is essential as it is the substrate all series-1 and series-2 prostaglandins are made of (LA.. DGLA .. PG-1).
A deficit or low supply of these will result in only *bad* prostaglandins beeing made out of the dietary AA.
Dietary AA  - primarily found in meat - can replace LA for the sake of making *bad* prostaglandins only.
Therefore if you eat meat (dietary AA), the need for LA in emphasised to achieve the possibility to make good prostaglandins.

LNA ,18:3 (omega-3) can be replaced by dietary EPA (found in non-paleo cold water fish, and  animal brains) for the sake to make the (good) series-3 PG's.

But it cannot be replaced in balancing  the (necessary,see above) LA intake.
As you can read in many publications the omega-3/ to omega-6 ratios must be high enough
not to result in too much bad PG's made.
By competing for the enzyme d5d which makes the deadly AA out of the beneficial DGLA.

There are two essential fatty acids, LA and LNA.
Parts of their function in the body can be replaced by their long chain variants (EPA,DHA,AA).
But omitting them has the smell of death.

regards

Amadeus S.

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