Omega-6 fatty acid in the context of "Polyunsaturated fatty acids"

α-Linolenic acid, also known as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) (from Greek alpha denoting "first" and linon meaning flax), is an n−3, or omega-3, essential fatty acid. ALA is found in many seeds and oils, including flaxseed, walnuts, chia, hemp, and many common vegetable oils.

In terms of its structure, it is named all-cis-9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid. In physiological literature, it is listed by its lipid number, 18:3 (n−3). It is a carboxylic acid with an 18-carbon chain and three cis double bonds. The first double bond is located at the third carbon from the methyl end of the fatty acid chain, known as the n end. Thus, α-linolenic acid is a polyunsaturated n−3 (omega-3) fatty acid. It is a regioisomer of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an 18:3 (n−6) fatty acid (i.e., a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid with three double bonds).

Ostrich oil is an oil derived from the fat of ostriches. Ostrich oil is composed of 36.51% of saturated fat, 46.75% of monounsaturated fat, and 18.24% of polyunsaturated fat. Ostrich oil contains fatty acids, such as omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9. It also contains vitamins and minerals like vitamin E and selenium, which serve as natural antioxidants. Emu oil in the USA has a similar composition to ostrich oil, but ostrich oil has a higher omega-3 content, containing 2.1% compared to 0.25% in emu oil.

Ostrich oil has antibacterial properties, and is used for various skincare purposes, such as inflammation reduction. Due to the moisturizing properties, ostrich oil is currently used in cosmetic formulations and food chemistry. Ostrich oil is also used in the food industry as it has fatty acids and tocopherols, and a low cholesterol content.

Arachidonic acid (AA, sometimes ARA) is a polyunsaturated omega−6 fatty acid 20:4(ω−6), or 20:4(5,8,11,14). It is a precursor in the formation of leukotrienes, prostaglandins, and thromboxanes.

Essential fatty acids, or EFAs, are fatty acids that are required by humans and other animals for normal physiological function that cannot be synthesized in the body.⁠ As they are not synthesized in the body, the essential fatty acids – alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid – must be obtained from food or from a dietary supplement. Essential fatty acids are needed for various cellular metabolic processes and for the maintenance and function of tissues and organs. These fatty acids also are precursors to vitamins, cofactors, and derivatives, including prostaglandins, leukotrienes, thromboxanes, lipoxins, and others.

Only two fatty acids are known to be essential for humans: alpha-linolenic acid (an omega−3 fatty acid) and linoleic acid (an omega−6 fatty acid). These are supplied to the body either as the free fatty acid, or more commonly as some glyceride derivative. ALA can be converted into eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, but the conversion amount is small, requiring intake from food or supplements. Deficiency in omega−3 fatty acids is very common. The average American has a dietary ratio between omega−6 fatty acids and omega−3 fatty acids of 20:1.

Omega−9 fatty acids (ω−9 fatty acids or n−9 fatty acids) are a family of unsaturated fatty acids which have in common a final carbon–carbon double bond in the omega−9 position; that is, the ninth bond from the methyl end of the fatty acid.

Unlike omega−3 fatty acids and omega−6 fatty acids, omega−9 fatty acids are not classed as essential fatty acids (EFA). This is both because they can be created by the human body from unsaturated fat, and are therefore not essential in the diet, and because the lack of an omega−6 double bond keeps them from participating in the reactions that form the eicosanoids.

γ-Linolenic acid or GLA (INN: gamolenic acid) is an n−6, or omega-6, fatty acid found primarily in seed oils. When acting on GLA, arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase produces no leukotrienes and the conversion by the enzyme of arachidonic acid to leukotrienes is inhibited.

Emu oil is an oil derived from body fat harvested from certain subspecies of the emu, Dromaius novaehollandiae, a flightless bird indigenous to Australia.

Unadulterated emu oil can vary widely in colour and viscosity anywhere from an off-white creamy texture to a thin yellow liquid, depending on the diet of the emu and the refining method(s) used. Industrially refined emu oil is composed of a minimum of 70% unsaturated fatty acids. The largest component is oleic acid, a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid. Emu oil also contains roughly 20% linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid) and 1–2% linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid). Fully refined emu oil has a bland flavour.