The immune system does not work without arachidonic acid – the immune system reacts sensitively if the amounts are too large. If you eat a balanced diet and avoid certain foods, the fatty acid will not cause you any problems.
What the body needs arachidonic acid for
Arachidonic acid is an unsaturated fatty acid that belongs to the group of omega-6 fatty acids. It is mainly found in animal foods: Larger amounts are mainly found in meat, animal fats such as butter and offal.
The arachidonic acid provides the building blocks for hormones with which the body can activate the immune system. The counterpart, the off switch so to speak, is mainly provided by the omega-3 fatty acids.
But arachidonic acid is not one of the essential fatty acids in the narrower sense.
The science magazine Spektrum explains why: the body can absorb arachidonic acid from meals, but it can also produce it itself from linoleic acid. Therefore, arachidonic acid is one of the semi-essential fatty acids.
Linoleic acid, on the other hand, is an essential fatty acid: the body cannot produce it itself, but can only absorb it from food. Linoleic acid is found in plant foods such as sunflower oil or walnuts, but also in meat and dairy products.
Arachidonic acid: These foods are particularly high
Some foods are particularly high in arachidonic acid. If you suffer from rheumatism or arthrosis, you should remove them from your diet if possible. Otherwise, it is recommended not to take them in large quantities.
These animal products are rich in arachidonic acid (the information relates to 100 grams):
Pork Lard: Contains 1.7 grams of arachidonic acid — by far the most of the products on this list. Attention: Pastries with lard, such as shortbread cookies and other Christmas cookies, often contain large amounts of the problematic fatty acid.
Liver and Liverwurst:
Pork liver (870 milligrams)
Calf liver (352 milligrams)
Liverwurst (230 milligrams)
pork (120 milligrams) and streaky bacon (250 milligrams).
Fish: Some types of fish not only contain omega-3 fatty acids, but also arachidonic acid. These include above all:
Salmon (300 milligrams)
Tuna (280 milligrams)
Redfish (240 milligrams)
Carp (190 milligrams)
Eel (120 milligrams)
Chicken eggs: On average, you get about 70 milligrams of arachidonic acid with eggs. It mainly collects in the yolk – 100 grams of yolk contain almost 300 milligrams.
These animal products, on the other hand, contain less arachidonic acid:
Poultry: The lean brisket is better suited to a low-arachidon diet: chicken contains an average of 112 milligrams and turkey 50 milligrams. The meat on the legs contains more of the fatty acid: chicken has 190 milligrams and turkey 150 milligrams.
Beef or veal: fillets and lean muscle meat contain relatively little arachidonic acid. There are 53 milligrams in 100 grams of veal and around 70 milligrams in 100 grams of beef.
Dairy products:
Butter (83 milligrams)
Fatty cheeses such as Camembert (34 milligrams at 60 percent fat) or Tilsiter (27 milligrams)
whipping cream (32 milligrams)
