Good oils, and Bad oils
What are the good (essential) fats?
Certain fats are defined as ‘essential’ because:
- The body cannot make them;
- They are required for normal cell, tissue, gland, and organ function, for health, and for life;
- They must be provided from outside the body, through food or supplements;
- They can come only from fats (hence fat-free diets cannot supply them);
- Their absence from the diet will eventually kill;
- Deficiency results in progressive deterioration, can lead to death;
- Return of essential fatty acids to a deficient diet reverses the symptoms of deficiency and results in a return to health.
According to the above definition of essential, there are only two essential fats (technically called essential fatty acids or EFAs). One is the omega 3 (n-3) EFA, called alpha-linolenic acid. The other, the omega 6 (n-6) EFA, is known as linoleic acid.
The body converts the n-3 and n-6 EFAs into several n-3 and n-6 derivatives with important functions in the body. The best known derivatives of n-3 are EPA and DHA, which are made by the body and are also found in high fat, cold water fish. DHA is the major brain n-3. Derivatives of n-6 include GLA (found in evening primrose oil), DGLA (found in mother’s milk), and AA (found in meat, eggs, and dairy products, as well as in fish). AA is the major brain n-6.
From the n-3 derivative called EPA, the body makes hormone-like series 3 eicosanoids, and from two n-6 derivatives called DGLA and AA, the body makes hormone-like series 1 and series 2 eicosanoids, respectively. Eicosanoids regulate many functions in all tissues on a moment-to-moment basis, from conception until death.
Dr. Barry Sears is one of the world’s most trusted voices on health, diet, and nutrition. Over the past decade, millions of people worldwide have followed his prescriptions for healthy living through his bestselling books. He introduced the world to The Zone, a state of improved hormonal control that has helped a generation of people lose excess body fat, reverse the aging process, and fight heart disease and diabetes.
The OmegaRxZone represents the most recent in the series of Zone books, containing the most up-to-date information on Dr. Sears’ dietary technology. The emphasis is on pharmaceutical grade fish oil and recovery from illness.
Citing the importance of eicosanoids, a class of hormones that figures critically in metabolism, Dr Sears has worked out an approach to eating that reduces one’s daily production of insulin and, at the same time, draws on stored body fat for energy.
What happens when we don?t get enough good fats?
The short answer is: Every part of the body gradually deteriorates and falls apart. No cell, tissue, gland, or organ can function normally without them. Here is a longer list:
- Dry skin
- Constipation
- Low energy levels
- Brittle hair and hair loss
- Poor nail growth
- Deterioration of liver and kidneys
- Behavioral changed due to brain deterioration
- Glands dry up
- Immune system deteriorates, resulting in more infections, poorer wound healing, and increased cancer
- Digestion problems, inflammation, bloating, allergies, autoimmune conditions
- Bone mineral loss
- Reproductive failure: sterility in males and miscarriage in females
- Retarded growth of children
- Tingling in arms and legs due to nerve deterioration
- Vision and learning problems
- Insulin resistance
- Increased risk of overweight
- Increased cancer risk
- Increased cardiovascular risk
- Decreased ability to cope with stress
- In mental illness, increased symptoms
- Decreased lung function
- Decreased tissue oxidation
Potential benefits of flaxseed oil & fish oil
As more and more people become aware of the importance of fat in their diet, there’s growing interest in the benefits of flaxseed oil. Flaxseed oil is rich in a type of fat known as omega-3 (you’ll also see it written as n-3).
Over the past few years, a number of studies have shown that fish oil (which is also high in omega-3 fatty acids) can reduce the risk of heart disease, lower your blood pressure, and also alleviate some of the symptoms of depression.
Because flaxseed oil also contains omega-3 fatty acids, it’s easy to confuse the benefits of flaxseed oil with those of fish oil. However, what many don’t realize is that the omega-3 fatty acids found in flax are not the same as those in fish.
Flaxseed Oil
Flaxseed oil contains linoleic acid, an important fatty acid. In addition, it contains high amounts of alpha linolenic acid (ALA), another essential fatty acid.
ALA is an omega-3 oil, and the body turns it into EPA (an omega-3 oil found in Fish Oil). EPA is then turned into 3-series prostaglandins.
Flaxseed oil does not have all the same effects as Fish Oil, since the amount of ALA that is converted into EPA is far less than the amount of EPA found in Fish Oil. However, flaxseed oil has some effects that are not found with Fish Oil: it is an anti-inflammatory and also lowers blood pressure.
Flaxseed oil is derived from the hard, tiny seeds of the flax plant. It has been proposed as a less smelly alternative to fish oil.
Natural sources include: ALA, the major component of flaxseed oil, is found in lesser amounts in canola, soy, and walnut oils.
Recommended Dosage: 1 tablespoon, or 5 capsules. Should be taken in conjunction with Fish Oil for best results.
Fish Oil
Fish oil is high in both eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These two omega-3 oils have an effect which has not been found in any others: they keep blood triglyceride levels low. In addition, some studies have shown that fish oil may help to prevent cancer.
Fish oil also appears to be beneficial to patients with heart disease and diabetes.
Natural sources include: Albacore tuna, anchovies, black cod, cod liver oil, herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines, wild game.
Recommended Dosage: EPA 600 mg - 2,400 mg per day and DHA 240 mg - 960 mg day.
Phytoestrogen benefits
While attention surrounding flaxseed has been its source of essential fatty acids, recent studies and research have revealed that the substance called “lignans” within flaxseed has very important and useful medicinal qualities too. The health benefits of lignans may equal or surpass those of flaxseed oil.
Lignans are a group of phytonutrients (plant chemicals) found in seeds and grains. Flaxseed has by far the richest source of phytonutrients . It yields an extraordinary 800 mcg/g. The lignan found in flaxseed is called secoisolariciresinol glucoside (SDG). The lignan in flaxseed is a type of carbohydrate and classed as a phenolic compound or polyphenol.
A major reason why lignans provide certain health benefits is because they are considered to be “phytoestrogens”. They are plant chemicals that mimic the hormone estrogen. Studies have shown that individuals who consume more lignan-containing foods have lower incidence of breast and colon cancers due to this phytoestrogen effect.
A recent human clinical trial studied the effects of flaxseed on estrogen metabolism in postmenopausal women. The women who ate ground flaxseed had lower amounts of sex hormones associated with breast cancer. Authors of the study suggested that lignans played a role, although it was not directly proven that lignans were the only compounds producing the beneficial effects.
The mounting scientific evidence shows how important it is to consume a lignan-rich diet. However, contrary to some reports, flaxseed oil has virtually no lignans (less than 2%).
Some fats kill and some fats heal
The high fat diet (that those of us who are over 50 grew up on) causes well-known health problems that have been publicised ad nauseam.
Cardiovascular disease, elevated cholesterol, cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, PMS symdrome, and other degenerative diseases show association to the Western high fat diet where over 40% of calories came from processed and hard fats.
The swing to the other extreme - the low fat or no fat diets that are the rage today - also produce health problems.
Low fat or not fat diets dead to stunted growth in children, produce dry skin and low energy levels, lead to high cholesterol and high triglycerides, sometimes compromise immune function, enhance the likelihood of producing leaky gut and allergies and lower testosterone production. Body builders on low fat diets fail to get the gains they strive for because testosterone is required for muscle development.
Good fats improve the function of our hormones.
Low fat products are a bad joke. They usually taste like cardboard (fats enhance the tastes of foods), so to give them taste, manufacturers load them with sugar, which our body turns into the same hard (saturated) fats, the avoidance of which was the reason for making the low fat foods in the first place!
Some FAT facts:
Some fats promote cancer; other fats inhibit cancer. Some fats inhibit immune function. Other fats are required for and enhance our immune system.
Some fats make us more susceptible to a stroke or a heart attack. Other fats protect us from heart attacks and strokes. Some fats lead to, and others reverse atherosclerosis. Some fats increase triglycerides (blood fats). Other fats lower blood fats. That’s right! Fats can lower blood fats.
Some fats interfere with, while others are required for insulin function.
Some fats interfere with, while other fats are absolutely vital for brain development and brain function. And these fats are extremely important for the health of women, especially during pregnancies.
Some fats slow you down, but other fats increase your energy level.
Understand this basic concept: Some fats kill and other fats heal. If you want to be healthy, know the difference, and choose dietary fats accordingly.
Understand also that fats don’t make you fat, and that the essential fats, used in the right ratio to one another, can be used very effectively for fat reduction and weight management. If you want to die sooner, you should also know which ones to pick. We want to treat everyone equally!
Western and affluent high fat diets contain the wrong fats for health. They lack some of the good fats, contain too much of the unnecessary fats, and are destructively processed, changing some of their molecules into toxic ones. Such fats increase cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, PMS syndrome, and other degenerative diseases.
According to Udo Erasmus in his highly recommended book Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill: The Complete Guide to Fats, Oils, Cholesterol and Human Health , what we need is not a high fat, low fat, no fat, or fake fat diet. We need the Right Fat Diet.
Weight reduction
EFAs ability to increase metabolic rate helps us burn more calories. Instead of being used as fuel, they are converted into hormone-like prostaglandins. These fats keep us slim! EFAs help our kidneys dump excess water in tissues, which constitutes significant extra weight in some people. Cravings which result from not getting the nutrients we need, subside. EFAs satisfy that craving.
In fact, EFAs are exceptionally good at satisfying hunger. EFAs elevate mood and lift depression-a reason why some people overeat. Elevated mood and increased energy levels make us feel like being active.
Here’s a key point on fats and body fats. The commonly held belief that fats make you fat is completely wrong. Those who are seriously overweight are almost always fat-phobic carbohydrate junkies. They avoid fats, develop food cravings, and eat sweet and starchy foods. The body does not need the carbohydrate fuel that sweets and starches provide. The body turns into fat all carbohydrates that are not burned for energy.
It is not easy to convince people who want to lose weight to eat more fat. But consider this. In the last 10 years, our intake of fats has decreased from 42% of calories to 35%. This in response to national dietary goals set by experts who operate on only half of the story on fats. It is clearly the wrong advice to give, because in those same 10 years, obesity has gone up, from 20% of the population to 33%. What does that tell you? It’s common sense!.
Eating less fat is making us fat. We should be eating more fat. But remember, it should be the right kind of fat. Not the processed fats, but the essential ones.
Quantities
The fact that quantities of fat in traditional diets that kept people healthy varies quite widely is instructive for us. In my work, I’ve seen people use as much as 50% of their calories from the oils made with health in mind, and blended to get the right ratio. They tell us that they feel great-more energy, less joint pain, nicer skin, better thinking ability, greater calmness, and less weight are just some of the benefits these consumers of fat report.
Fats in other traditional diets also contained both EFAs. They were unrefined, and still had the ‘minor’ ingredients from seeds and nuts. Technology for removing health supporting ‘minor’ ingredients became widespread only in this century.
What is the ideal ratio?
Some researchers have suggested that the perfect ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 is 1:4. They base these figures on enzyme studies carried out in tissue cultures. Our more practical experience working with people, shows that the ratio that gives the best results consistently comes form oils blended to be richer in omega 3 than omega 6. This may be because human beings are more complex than tissue cultures. They use EFAs for brain function, hormone production, and many other functions that don’t pertain in tissue culture.
Some people suggest that the traditional perfect balance was 1: 1. But ratios in traditional ratios varied widely. The Inuit ratio was 2.5:1. It did not produce omega 6 deficiency. The ratio in Mediterranean diets was about 1:6, and did not produce omega 3 deficiency. The brain of both traditions contains a balance of 1:1. Which tells us that the brain takes what it needs from what the body gets, provided that enough of both EFAs is present.
In practice, oils richer in omega 3s (but not too rich) consistently produce the best health support and improvement.
Flax oil (3.5 times richer in omega 3 than omega 6) can lead to omega 6 deficiency, because omega 3s and 6s compete for enzyme space in our cells. On unrefined flax oil made with health in mind (the first oil I developed in North America) I experienced dry eyes, skipped heart beats, joint pains, and fragile, thin skin. Others have suffered similar problems.
The Inuit’s 2.5:1 balance is the omega 3-richest traditional diet-nature’s measure of the upper limit of safe omega 3 richness.
