Fatty Acids - "HIGH or LOW FAT, FAKE or NO FAT?"

We don't need a LOW-fat diet, we need a GOOD-fat diet

We contain a lot of necessary fat

After you remove water from your body, half of what is left is fatty acids.   They make up every cell membrane, all the hormones, and also the hormone-like messengers (E.g. prostaglandins, leukotrienes), which control reactions to what is happening in the vicinity of each cell. They combine with protein to form lipoproteins for nutrient transport in the blood, they are needed for nerve conduction and healthy brain function, and they cushion and protect organs, such as the heart.

Some dietary fats are harmful, some are absolutely essential for health.   We need the right fats, in the right quantities and proportions, and in a natural, unaltered form.

Meet THE FAT FAMILIES: Saturated, Monounsaturated, and Polyunsaturated

Each of the fat families, saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats, has family members called FATTY ACIDS.    A fatty acid is comprised of atoms of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O), and can be visualized as a caterpillar, having a head, a tail and a body, with a carbon chain as its “backbone”. This diagram of LAURIC ACID, a member of the saturated fat family, depicts the general structure of a fatty acid. Examples of other fatty acids are STEARIC ACID, OLEIC ACID, ALPHA-LINOLENIC ACID and LINOLEIC ACID, each able to satisfy specific needs of the body.

Fat-containing foods usually contain a combination of fatty acids from the different fat families.    However, certain fatty acids often predominate in specific foods. E.g. Flax seed is rich in polyunsaturated Omega-3 ALPHA-LINOLENIC ACID; vegetable oils are rich in polyunsaturated Omega-6 LINOLEIC ACID; meat fat is predominately saturated and monunsaturated fat, wiyh ;

ALL of the Fat Families are needed by the body to maintain health

The body can manufacture saturated and monounsaturated fats from dietary carbohydrate.

-   Despite the campaign against its consumption, saturated fat has numerous life-sustaining roles.    Not the least of which is to protect the heart.

-   The health benefits of monounsaturated fat (E.g. in olive oil) have been recognized since bible times

Two particular sub-families of the polyunsaturated fat family, called omega-3 and Omega-3, are VITAL to the body's health and CAN ONLY BE OBTAINED FROM OUR DIET.    There is only one polyunsaturated fatty acid, Omega-9 MEAD ACID, which the body can manufacture, and whose elevated presence in the blood is an indication of omega-3 /omega-6 deficiency.

-   Several factors are often present which hinder the ability of enzymes to convert parent EFA fatty acids to their needed off-spring forms in the body.    These include pollution, aging, stress, consumption of trans fats, excess sugar or alcohol, diabetes, and viral infections.

For more detailed information on each of the fat families, see:

Saturated Fat

Monounsaturated Fat

Polyunsaturated Fat (EFAs)  (includes Omega-3 and Omega-6)

Major problems with omega-3 and omega-6 consumption in typical Western diet . . .

(1) Omega-3 fat is essentially MISSING

(2) We consume more than enough Omega-6 fat

This is creating an Omega-6 to Omega-3 Imbalance that is having DEVASTATING health consequences!

Because of their counter-balancing effects it is necessary to consume about equal amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 fats.    Until modern times these essential fats were consumed in a more or less 1:1 ratio, but today more typically the ratio is 20:1 omega-6  to omega-3. This is primarily due to:

•   Not eating enough oily fish with their high omega-3 content;

•   The invention of the expeller vegetable seed press (making omega-6 oils more available)

•   The presence of predominantly omega-6 fats in most processed foods

•   Changes in farming methods, which keeps animals and birds indoors, where they consume grains rich in omega-6, and do not consume grass and bugs, with their higher omega-3 content.

For details, see:

Omega-3 / Omega-6 Imbalance

(3) Much of the consumed omega-6 fat is not only devitalized, it is also made toxic by commercial processing methods (e.g. partial hydrogenation introduces trans fats), particularly when exposed to high heat (as in roasting and frying - think potato chips, roasted nuts, fries, donuts)

Damaged /altered (Toxic) fats are causing significant health issues

For information on trans fat, hydrogenated fat and other altered or damaged fats, and the health consequences of consuming them:

Damaged/Altered (Toxic) Fats

Which fats can I eat that are healthy?

6 things you should do to obtain good fats in your diet