What Does Vitamin F Do?|Sources and Benefits of Vitamin F

Vitamin F, also known as essential fatty acids or EFA, is composed of 2 fatty acids which are important for many of our biological processes. There are many more health benefits of Vitamin F, which will be discussed below in the following array of the article. We will also take a look at some of the sources of vitamin F in this article.

Vitamin F is better classified as a fat. This Vitamin F does so many things for our health and they help in several ways to our body. They help with wound healing, metabolism, skin and nail health and many more. As mentioned above, vitamin F made of two essential fatty acids. These two fatty acids are Linoleic acid or LA and Alpha-linoleic acid or ALA; both of which are essential in the repair and development of our body’s tissues. A deficiency in these fatty acids in our body, can cause easy skin bruising, vision problems, dry eyes, delayed healing process and also unhealthy hair, skin and nails.

Our body requires essential fatty acids; however, since it is unable to make these substances, you have to look at external sources to provides the essential fatty acids to your body. Below are some of the best natural sources of Vitamin F.

1. Oils:

   Oils are excellent sources of vitamin F. The oil that are extracted from flaxseed, for instance, contains 7.3 grams of ALA per one tablespoon. Similarly, safflower also provides about 10.1 grams of LA per one tablespoon. Other good sources of these essential fatty acids include soybean, corn, canola and walnut oils.

2. Nuts and Seeds:

   Sunflower seeds, pine nuts, brazil nuts, pecans and English walnuts are good sources of vitamin F. These nuts and seeds contain a rich amoung of alpha-linoleic acids. Especially, Oil-roasted sunflower seeds, provide 9.7 grams of vitamin F per ounce, while English walnuts contains 2.6 grams of vitamin F per ounce.

3. Breast Milk And Infant Formula:

   Baby’s milk; maybe breast milk or formula milk; contains a rich amount of both LA and ALA. They provide the main source of energy in an infant’s diet. Mother’s breastmilk contains 55% of healthy fat, while formula milk contains 49% of fat.

4. Fish:

   Achovies, lake trout, halibut, salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, etc. are some of the fishes from which you can get enough of vitamin F. As per the American Heart Association, an individual should eat two servings of these fatty fish per week so as to meet his or her vitamin F requirements.

5. Vegetables:

   Some vegetables also contain vitamin F. Soybean products, in particular, like soymilk and tofu provides a fair amount of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. You can consume these to get required amount of the fat.

1. Skin and Nail Health Benefits of Vitamin F:

   Vitamin F is very much important for healthy skin and nails. Without proper levels of essential fatty acids, your skin and your nails will become dry and turn brittle. This means that your nail will grow more slowly and be more prone to peeling, splitting or breaking and your skin will be more susceptible to tearing and bruising. The Linoleic acid, which is a component of vitamin F, provides anti-inflammatory benefits to your skin; which make it beneficial in treating acne. Moreover, Linoleic acid is able to permeate the skin; so other active ingredients that you usem such as antioxidants, are able to be more completely absorbed by the skin.

2. Mental Health Benefits of Vitamin F:

   There are also mental health benefits of vitamin F. Though there are no conclusive evidence to support the claims that essential fatty acids may help in reducing anxiety and alleviate depression; but preliminary studies on the subject are really encouraging.

3. Vitamin F Helps in Lowering the LDL Cholesterol:

   LDL or low density lipids is the bad cholesterol. By consuming adequate amount of vitamin F, one can lower the levels of LDL in the blood. Lowering the levels of LDL in your blood enhances your overall blood circulation, which inturn reduces your risk of infections and increases your ability to heal from illness quickly.

4. Benefits of Vitamin F in Reducing the Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases:

   It is also known that by consuming vitamin F regularly, one can get enough cardiovascular health benefits. Essential fatty acids play an important role in the life cycle of cardiac cells. With proper levels of vitamin F in the body, the life and death of cardiac cells function in a healthy way.

5. Other Benefits of Vitamin F:

   There are some other benefits of vitamin F as well. It helps in enhancing the growth of the body. Vitamin F is required by children in the growth period, apart from this, it is also useful in keeping the cell membrane in a good manner, enhance immunity and also maintains cholesterol levels. Moreover, Vitamin F also helps in balancing the hormonal system of the body.