Fats

Fats - natures way of preparing for hard times and the source of the biggest myth in medicine

Vegetable oil, lard, butter, olive oil, cholesterol and many others too numerous to mention - fats are with us all day, every day - or so it seems. So what are they, what is their purpose and how do they affect health?

Think of fat and you almost invariably think of being overweight and low-fat diets. Fats, however, are an essential part of the diet and the oft-missed fact is that most of us aren't eating enough of them!

Is this too good to be true? Actually no, it isn't. the simple answer is that in the average Western diet, we consume too little fat overall, but actually the wrong types of fat - and before you think "here we go again", modern medicine has got it completely wrong - what most of us need is more natural and saturated fat and LESS of the synthetic plastics known as hydrogenated vegetable oils or trans-fatty acids. But, we're getting ahead of ourselves - first things first:-

What are fats?

Fats (or more correctly, fatty acids) are an essential part of the diet. Contrary to much of what we seem to hear, they are not confined to meat and animal products, but are also present in virtually all seeds, nuts and many plants themselves - think of olive oil for an example.

The way in which we refer to fats often belies their true functions - cholesterol, for example is not only the essential ingredient for both male and female hormones, it also has important healing functions. Other fats, such as the essential fatty acids DHA and EPA are fundamental to brain and nerve function.

What do they do in the body?

The simple answer to this is - lots of different things. The way we traditionally think of body fat is the adipose tissue we gain when we eat too much or eat the wrong things (the second is much more important than the first).

More properly known as "adipose tissue", this type of fat is the body's way of storing excess energy, so that it can be retrieved later. This process is very efficient and is regulated in the liver by the presence of various hormones, but is largely controlled by insulin, the hormone that regulates blood glucose levels.

In fact, the reason the body decides to store fat is usually that it has all the carbohydrates (sugars) it needs for its energy supplies and as a consequence, it converts the extra to fat and, at the same time prevents the "burning" of stored fat for fuel. (for more about this, see the chapter on insulin resistance). However, as already mentioned there are numerous types of fats.

Essential Fatty Acids

Fatty acids are the building blocks of fats in the same way as amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Many can be manufactured in the body from other fatty acids and by the conversion of sugar in the liver.

Those that can't and therefore must be provided in the diet are called "essential fatty acids".

Essential fatty acids are divided into two groups, namely Omega-3 and Omega-6. All essential fatty acids are naturally polyunsaturated, and the 3 or 6 in the name tells you that the first double bond on the molecule is 3 or 6 carbons from the end.

Essential fatty acids that MUST be included in the diet include the following:

Linoleic acid (LA) (omega-6)

Arachidonic acid (AA) (omega-6)

Gamma linolenic acid (GLA) (omega-6)

Dihomogamma linolenic acid (DGLA) (omega-6)

Alpha linolenic acid (LNA or ALA) (omega-3)

Eicosapentenoic acid (EPA) (omega-3)

Docosahexanoic acid (DHA) (omega-3)

Whilst the Omega-6 essential fatty acids are abundant in all sorts of vegetable oils and meats, the omega-3's are much harder to come by. They can be found in oily fish (salmon, mackerel, trout) as ell as some seeds and nuts, including walnuts, flax seeds and pumpkin seeds. Unfortunately, however, most of us are not including enough of these items in our diet - if we are including any at all!

A recent study discovered that, in the USA, 25% of adults tested had so little Omega-3 essential fatty acids in their blood that they were undetectable.

Hang on, 25 percent of the population in the country with the biggest incidence of depression, other psychiatric "illness", aggression, murder and childhood "behavioural issues" have absolutely NONE of the fat which makes up 50% of the brain and covers every nerve fibre - could there be a correlation here?

You bet there is!

Lack of Omega-3 essential fatty acids have been directly linked to ALL of the above, as well as birth weight of babies, low gestational age at birth (prematurity), incidence of Ischemic heart disease and longevity.

What is worse is that lack of these essential fatty acids in your blood strongly suggests that you are eating the wrong kind of fats, as well as omitting the right ones.

What can you do about it.

Firstly, you can try to add into your diet the foods that contain Omega-3 essenial fatty acids, listed above, to which can be added grass-fed beef (grain-fed beef has NO omega-3 content). In doing this, bear in mind that some Governments, such as the UK are now recommending that you eat no more than 200g of sea-fish a week, due to the levels of the toxins dioxin and mercury in fish, especially fish livers, where toxins concentrate.

Secondly, and this goes for most people, you should add a high-quality omega-3 supplement to your diet. Be sure that the fish oil used to produce it is from sources that filter out all the toxins (we only know of one manufacturer that uses this expensive process, but charges no more for their oil than others), is PURE Omega-3 and is not diluted with other oils, e.g. vegetable oils.

Essential qualities of Omega-3 essential Fatty acids

Make sure it is PURE Omega-3

Check it is undiluted

Ask if dioxin has been removed

Pregnancy warning.

By the time most mothers come to term, their bodies are completely exhausted of the Omega-3 essential fatty acids DHA and EPA, which are the main building blocks of the baby's brain and nerves. For a healthy baby, and to help prevent premature birth you MUST include these supplements in your diet, taking note of the required qualities above.