FATS AND OILS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE

By Harry Chrissakis; “Herbalist & Herbs”

• The top three killers in the U.S. (cancer, heart disease, stroke) all have one thing in common: diet!

 

What we consume for food on a daily basis and for years on end can and does have a major impact on our health.

 

– Watch a Summary of this article

 

 

 

A crucial area and one of general confusion is the role fats play in health and disease.

 

Recently ‘trans fats’ have gained media attention and have been labeled as one of the bad guys; and rightly so.

 

The damaging effects of trans fats have been well documented for years.

 

But what is a trans fat or a saturated fat and what is an ‘omega 3’?

 

How do they work and which of them heal and which of them harm?

 

Trans Fats

 

Ninety five percent of trans fats consumed in the U.S. are from margarine and shortening. These ‘non-food’ substances (called white fats) are made by the hydrogenation of fats and oils.

 

Hydrogenation is a manufacturing process that forces hydrogen gas to bond with an oil or fat (usually a refined vegetable oil) making it solid at room temperature and spreadable like butter (margarine).

 

Hydrogenated trans fat shortening is used in almost all commercial baked goods.

 

Multiple toxic substances are produced in the hydrogenation process.

 

Trans fats one of those substances produced in large quantities.

• Trans fats raise cholesterol, lower good fat (HDL), raise bad fat (LDL), damage our liver, our vascular system and directly contribute to inflammation.

 

Saturated Fats

 

These hard and sticky are called saturated because all of their bonding site are filled (saturated). They occur naturally and are of animal or vegetable origin.

 

Because of their structure they are highly stable and do not go rancid easily.

 

What is surprising to many people is the fact that we need some saturated fat for our health.

 

Saturated fats are used as fuel for energy by our cells and contribute to keeping our skin healthy and our body insulated from cold.

 

Examples of saturated fats are butter and coconut oil.

 

The problems we have that are associated with saturated fats arise from consuming too much in our diets.

 

These hard and sticky fats bind together in our blood stream contributing to vascular and coronary disease.

 

Refined Polyunsaturated Fats

 

The vast majority of polyunsaturated oils have been refined and deodorized. Both processes require high heat and the removal of almost everything that was useful in the original oil. What starts out as a good product (safflower, sunflower oil) gets tweaked through marketing (No cholesterol! Good for you!) and the need for a long and unnatural shelf life (refined and deodorized).

 

– What is left are oils that have only a vague resemblance of what they could be if they were produced correctly.

 

Refined polyunsaturated oils are damaging to our body in at least two ways. They negatively impact how cell walls work, making them less permeable and thus contributing to insulin resistance (diabetes, heart disease and obesity) and to toxicity within the cell.

 

Refined polyunsaturated oils can be found in heath food stores.

 

Cholesterol

 

We have been taught to think that cholesterol is something terrible, but in fact it is natural part of our physiology.

 

Cholesterol is manufactured by the liver and our cells for good use by our body.

 

Cholesterol is also fundamental to the production of multiple important substances for our health. From the production of sex hormones and creating the critical balance in our cell walls, to the manufacture of vitamin D and the protection of our skin from dehydration.

 

Cholesterol in food is exclusively of animal origin (meat and dairy). The problem with cholesterol is the same as saturated fats… we simply consume too much of them.

 

The Omegas

 

This is a whole family of fatty acids, three of which

 

I’ll discuss now.

 

OMEGA 3

 

The list of positive effects from omega 3’s is extensive. Omega 3’s are part of the essential fatty acids. Essential because we must get them from our diet, as we are unable to make them in our body. Their place in our diet is critical. Unfortunately, our contemporary diets are often far too low in omega 3’s.

 

Our body will preferentially use omega 3 oils for all of our high energy tissues, such as the brain, sex glands, adrenal, etc.

 

Omega 3’s attract and hold oxygen and potentiate electrical charges in our cells. They act as anti-inflammatory and are often part of natural protocols used to help treat chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and multiple sclerosis. In our blood streams, Omega 3 oils act to help keep our blood the right consistency, so that it flows through the arteries and veins properly.

 

Our brain is approximately 60% fat (phospholipids), a good portion which are omega 3’s. The list goes on, so it is not hard to see how important omega 3’s are to our health.

 

The best sources are fresh flax oil or fresh ground flax seed, (A.L.A.).

 

Fish oils contain two types of omega 3’s, D.H.A. and E.P.A. and are an excellent source of omega 3’s.

 

OMEGA 6

 

Omega 6’s – borage, primrose and black currant oils are sources of a particular type of omega 6 known as G.L.A. This fatty acid has many positive effects, most of which parallel and compliment omega 3’s. (Omega 6’s are also considered essential fatty acids).

 

In combination, these two essential fatty acids (omega 6 -G.L.A. and omega 3’s) help promote health and longevity.

 

Both omega 3 and 6’s are used as supplemental oils taken either by gel capsule or by the spoonful as bulk oils.

 

OMEGA 9

 

Virgin olive oil is the most widely used and known omega 9. It is our premier dietary oil, having great flavor and a long and natural shelf life. (It is very stable and does not go rancid easily). Virgin olive oil is abundant in health giving benefits.

 

This is not to be confused with plain olive oil which lacks many of these benefits due to the difference in the manufacturing process.

 

Virgin olive oil supports cardiovascular health and is high anti-oxidants.

 

So after all of this, what would be a general recommendation for dietary and supplementary fats and oils?

 

What to do now?

 

• Lighten up on the saturated fats and cholesterol.

• Get rid of the margarine and low quality vegetable oils.

• Back off the deep fry and most commercial baked goods.

• Use virgin olive oil and some butter as your dietary fats.

• As supplemental oil use fresh flax oil and/or fish oil (omega 3’s).

• Use borage or primrose oil (omega 6’s).

• Add 300 mg of ‘gamma E’ (vitamin E complex).