Functional pasta with omega-3 and 6
Another type of functional pasta that is important from a nutritional and physiological point of view is represented by products containing fatty acids in view of the various beneficial health effects recognised for these substances.
The fatty alpha-linolenic acid (Ala) (omega-3) and linoleic acid (Al) (omega-6) are defined as essential since the human body is unable to synthesise these molecules and, therefore, must necessarily take them in through food.
The main sources of omega-6 fatty acids (in the Al molecular form) are wheat germ oil, seed oils (soya, sunflower and corn) and dried fruit (walnuts, pine nuts, peanuts, etc.); however, as we shall see in the text of this article, omega-3 fatty acids must be given more importance in one’s diet.
The latter (in the Ala molecular form) are present in high quantities in flaxseed, chia seed and hempseed oil and, and to a lesser extent, in soya oil and walnuts. Two other omega-3 fatty acid molecules of great nutritional and physiological interest are docosapentaenoic acid (Epa) and docosahexaenoic acid (Dha). These nutrients are found in significant quantities in fishery products and, above all, in oily fish such as tuna, mackerel, salmon, sardine, herring, etc.
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