polyunsaturated fatty acids

polyunsaturated fatty acids
(PUFA) unsaturated fatty acids (q.v.) containing two or more double bonds; they occur predominantly as linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic acids, in vegetable and seed oils. Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids can lower plasma lipid levels and thus lower serum cholesterol; however, they have been shown to lower both low-density and high-density lipoprotein levels, and excessive consumption of these fatty acids has also been linked to cancer.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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