Jeffrey Jaime explains why C15, a fatty acid most people have never heard of, should be considered essential. In one worm study, baby worms fed only C15 after nutrient deprivation grew normally, suggesting the body can't make enough of it on its own.
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Another study was done in worms showing that you could remove every nutrient, not just fatty acids, but every nutrient from a baby worm. And if you give it just C15, its normal growth will restore. So really important follow up from independent teams that have nothing to do with us all concluding that yes, C15 meets the criteria of an essential fatty acid. So lots of exciting work on that frontier. An essential fatty acid is a nutrient that our bodies must have in order to maintain our baseline physiological health. If we don't have enough of it, we will see a deficiency syndrome. So our health will fall apart. Importantly, our bodies can't make enough of this nutrient of this fatty acid. Therefore, we have to get certain amounts routinely from our diet.