What is Arachidonic Acid?
Arachidonic acid (ARA) belongs to the Omega 6 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid.
From the ARA Structure, we can see it contains four carbon-carbon double bonds, a carbon-oxygen double bond, which is a highly unsaturated fatty acid
Does ARA belong to Essential fatty acids?
No, Arachidonic Acid is not Essential fatty acids (EFAs).
Only Alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid) are EFAs.
However, Arachidonic acid is synthesized from Linoleic acid. Once our body is lack of linoleic acid, or there has an inability to convert linoleic acid to ARA, our body will be short of ARA, so AA becomes import in this way.
ARA Food Resource
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006
| Rank | Food item | Contribution to intake (%) | Cumulative contribution (%) |
| 1 | Chicken and chicken mixed dishes | 26.9 | 26.9 |
| 2 | Eggs and egg mixed dishes | 17.8 | 44.7 |
| 3 | Beef and beef mixed dishes | 7.3 | 52.0 |
| 4 | Sausage, franks, bacon, and ribs | 6.7 | 58.7 |
| 5 | Other fish and fish mixed dishes | 5.8 | 64.5 |
| 6 | Burgers | 4.6 | 69.1 |
| 7 | Cold cuts | 3.3 | 72.4 |
| 8 | Pork and pork mixed dishes | 3.1 | 75.5 |
| 9 | Mexican mixed dishes | 3.1 | 78.7 |
| 10 | Pizza | 2.8 | 81.5 |
| 11 | Turkey and turkey mixed dishes | 2.7 | 84.2 |
| 12 | Pasta and pasta dishes | 2.3 | 86.5 |
| 13 | Grain-based desserts | 2.0 | 88.5 |
Where can we find ARA in our life
