We are born with miraculously integrated bodies and minds. Our lungs draw in vital oxygen, essential for producing energy. Our hearts ceaselessly pump blood through vast networks of vessels to all of our tissues and organs. Raw materials are transformed into fuel by our digestive systems. Our muscles and bones propel us through the world, allowing us first to stand, then walk, then play and work.

Each day our brains take in a barrage of new information, filtering it, selectively storing it, and adapting their way of working accordingly. At the end of each day, we recharge and reset our systems by sleeping. All of us come equipped with a self-contained set of tools that, properly used, may allow us to live 100 years, or maybe even longer.

Beginning early in our lives, though, our genes, our environment, our culture, and our own free will conspire to test this marvelous organism—sometimes to the breaking point. There are people who maintain their health and live long, fruitful lives, sustaining minimal wear and tear. But others—perhaps most of us—push our bodies to the limit. Instead of eating the way our bodies were designed to eat, we indulge in foods filled with sugars and other refined carbohydrates, trans fats, and unhealthy food additives. Instead of walking to nearby destinations, we drive our cars. We sit most of the day. Some of us smoke. Some of us drink too much. Many of us allow negative feelings and stress to rule our thoughts. Not many of us get adequate sleep. The wrong choices trap us in a lifestyle that actually endangers our lives.

The effects of these poor choices compromise every system that keeps us well, and the damage is not pretty. After years of a diet high in refined carbohydrates, arteries become narrow and clogged with plaque, raising the risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack. We find ourselves on the unhealthy path to metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, and cancer. Eating too much of the wrong foods and getting too little exercise allows fat to build up around our organs and beneath our skin. Smoking fills our lungs with toxins, damaging our health in myriad ways. Not getting enough sleep worsens our memories and disrupts an important hormone cycle that prevents us from overeating. And too much stress compromises our body's natural immune system, the very tool that would help us combat much of the other damage.

Return to the Path of Good Health

Fortunately, we have the ability to choose.

That’s where our series of HealthJournals on Wellness come in. Our Wellness series will show you how to completely change your lifestyle to a healthy and sustainable one that will restore your vitality and reverse chronic medical conditions. It will provide you with innumerable health benefits. It will lessen dangerous abdominal fat, lower chronic inflammation, and reduce the threat of other chronic diseases. Your risk of getting heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases will be greatly reduced. You will be likely to live longer, too. What’s more, your systems and organs will be provided with all the nutrients they require, so that your hunger will be satisfied, and your body brought into homeostatic balance.

This wellness information is based on real science that refutes current mainstream medical notions of what we should be eating. In this series, we explain the most natural way to eat—so that fat melts away and the body’s hormonal systems rebalance themselves. In doing so, we turn popular notions of a “healthy diet” on their head. Moreover, we give you all the leading science on other aspects of wellness in your life—including how to break your bad habits, the benefits of sleep, how to de-stress, and the real benefits of exercising.

It’s rarely too late to make changes that can reverse damage to your abused organs and tissues. Even people who are sensitive to carbohydrates, and therefore genetically predisposed to putting on weight, can get back on the path to good health. By eating the right foods, exercising, modifying your negative habits, quitting smoking, sleeping well, and celebrating life, you can reverse many chronic conditions—and increase your enjoyment of life immeasurably.

We hope that you will continue to explore the miracle that is your body, knowing that the good choices you are making will enable you to enjoy a life full of activity and fulfillment. You have the power to keep your body and mind healthy, strong, and alive. You can live longer and live better.

To life!

Wellness and Nutrition – Prevent and Reverse Chronic Diseases with the Right Diet

In the series of HealthJournals on Wellness and Nutrition, learn which foods work to burn fat, which work to keep fat on you—and why. Learn about nutrition, including the macronutrients and micronutrients that your body does and doesn’t need. Learn to make the necessary changes to your diet while we provide you with the necessary tools to be successful with your new way of eating. Finally, learn about intermittent fasting and how it can help with weight loss and the reversal of chronic diseases.

Fats. When you read that word, “healthy” probably isn’t the first thing that pops into your head. In fact, it’s hard to imagine a time when fats were not controversial and did not strike fear into the hearts of dieters. Just the mention of fat-loaded foods like butter and bacon can trigger powerful reactions! And yet, it’s only in the past 40 years or so that our relationship with fats has become so complicated.

About 100 years ago, only about 1% of Americans were obese and coronary heart disease was pretty much unheard of. Back then, people commonly cooked with animal fats like lard, tallow, and butter—all of them full of saturated fat. So, what prompted this more recent fear of fats, and especially saturated fat?

In the 1960s and 1970s, researchers were attempting to come to grips with the increase of various diseases in the US, particularly heart disease. Although some researchers theorized that fats were at the root of America's health problems, the role of fats in promoting disease was still controversial.

The 1977 McGovern Report changed all that by transforming these anti-fat theories into public policy. The McGovern Report, compiled by a committee chaired by Senator George McGovern, established the US government position on what constituted a healthy diet. The dietary goals promoted by the McGovern Report included increasing carbohydrate consumption to 55-60% of the diet; reducing overall fat consumption to 30-40%, with saturated fat being kept under 10%; and reducing cholesterol, sugar, and salt consumption.

The McGovern Report was controversial. Researchers were divided regarding the validity of the data, with many concluding there simply wasn’t enough data to begin advising Americans on dietary choices. Nevertheless, with the best of intentions, it was agreed that the USDA would draft official dietary guidelines based on the recommendations of the McGovern Report.

In 1980, the first edition of the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans was released. A new edition of the Guidelines has been released every 5 years or so since then. The USDA’s recommendations were represented by the Food Guide Pyramid in the 90s; today, the Pyramid has morphed into MyPlate.

Has Anything Changed?

While the presentation of the material has changed graphically over the past 30 years, the recommendations themselves have stayed pretty much the same—as has the uncertainty among scientists that existed before the first guideline was published. What has changed is that there is more and more evidence showing that these dietary guidelines were never based on scientific fact.

Numerous studies have proven that there is no correlation between the amount of cholesterol in your diet and the amount of cholesterol in your blood. It has never been shown that dietary cholesterol leads to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). One exception has been found in people with familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic condition. What’s more, the majority of studies show that saturated fat has no independent association, positive or negative, with coronary heart disease. Yet, carbohydrate consumption has been associated with obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

The demonization of saturated fat has led to a huge increase in the use of vegetable oil and industrial seed oils, such as corn and soy, and a huge decrease in the use of animal-derived fats, including butter and lard. The demonization of fat in general has led to an overall increase in our consumption of carbohydrates— like bread, pasta, cereal grains, and multitudes of low-fat products riddled with hidden sugars. Americans stopped eating butter for fear of heart disease, and began eating margarine, which is full of atherosclerosis-inducing trans fats.

Fructose, because of its low glycemic index, was more widely accepted as a sweetener and was added to a multitude of products in the form of high-fructose corn syrup. The advice to avoid dietary cholesterol turned Americans away from traditional breakfasts, like eggs and bacon, full of protein and fat. The breakfast foods of choice are now packaged cereals, bagels, and toast—all chock full of refined carbs.

Americans have adhered to the guidelines put in place for us by medical authorities. We have lowered our intake of fat, while raising our consumption of carbohydrates. And how has that worked out? We have become fatter and more unhealthy, with more soaring rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other disorders. Today, cholesterol-lowering statin drugs are among the most prescribed drugs in the US.

The Truth About Fats

The reality is that fats from both animal and vegetable sources provide a concentrated source of energy and perform vital functions throughout your body. They serve as building blocks for cell membranes and hormones, cushion and protect your organs, and help to keep your body warm. Fats, as part of a meal, slow down nutrient absorption, so that you feel full longer. They act as carriers for the important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Dietary fats are needed for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, for mineral absorption, and for a host of other processes.

Dietary fats are absolutely essential; life would be impossible without them. Fats are complex nutrients worthy of your understanding—not only to inspire a delicious and satisfying diet, but also so you can appreciate how they energize, build, and fortify your body. You’ll see that fats really are the foundation of a healthy eating plan. Only when they are consumed with too many industrial oils, trans fats, and carbohydrates can fats do any harm in your body.

Fats are part of a larger family of molecules known as lipids. Lipids are waxy, oil-based substances that don’t dissolve in water. You’ve likely seen this if you’ve ever dropped a bit of oil into water, or made a vinegar-and-oil salad dressing. Lipids occur naturally in your body and can also be ingested through the foods in your diet.

There are three kinds of lipids:

• Phospholipids
• Cholesterol
• Triglycerides (fat)

Phospholipids are the major components of cell membranes. The cell membrane barrier that allows nutrients to move in and out of your cells. Phospholipids are present in small amounts in your diet: They can be found in egg yolks and soybeans, and are used in salad dressings as emulsifiers (to keep the oil and water from separating). Your body makes the majority of the phospholipids needed for your cells.

The second lipid we’ll discuss, cholesterol, is a waxy substance that’s produced naturally by your body and is absolutely vital for life. Many people think cholesterol is a fat—but it’s not. Cholesterol is a lipid, a category that also happens to include fats.

Cholesterol has a bad reputation, and no doubt you’ve been taught over the years that having a high cholesterol level is a bad thing. But did you know that cholesterol itself is actually a good guy? Most of the cholesterol in your body is incorporated into cell membranes, holding them together like a sort of mortar (see image).

IMAGE: As an example, we’re going to look closely at the cell membrane of a cell found in the small intestine (highlighted in the figure). The small intestine is covered with finger-like projections called intestinal villi (left image box), on each villi are small cellular protrusions called microvilli (middle image box). We can see embedded within the cell membrane of each microvilli (right image box) many cholesterol molecules (outlined in white).

Cholesterol is also important for neurons (cells of the nervous system). Your brain holds about 20-25% of the cholesterol in your body—without it, your brain signals wouldn’t be able to fire properly. Cholesterol is also an essential ingredient in the manufacturing of hormones and vitamin D, and it’s necessary for the production of bile acids in the liver. Bile acids are secreted into the intestine, where they aid in the absorption of fats from the foods being digested.

If cholesterol has so many different, important jobs in our bodies, then why does it get such a bad rap? In a word: plaque. Cholesterol is one of the main materials in arterial plaque, which can accumulate in the walls of your arteries. Plaque buildup can harden and stiffen the arteries, a condition called atherosclerosis, and it’s one of the principal causes of cardiovascular disease.

The prevailing assumption has been that eating cholesterol creates higher levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream, increasing the risk of plaque buildup in the arteries. This, as it turns out, is not correct, and it’s one of the biggest dietary misconceptions out there (second only, perhaps, to the idea that eating fat makes you fat). A multitude of studies has shown that there is no connection between the increased ingestion of dietary cholesterol and cardiovascular disease risk.

Here’s why: Most of the cholesterol your body uses each day doesn’t come from the food you eat—rather, it’s made from scratch by your body. Only about 25% of your daily cholesterol comes from the food you consume, termed exogenous cholesterol. The remaining 75% is produced internally, by your liver. This is called endogenous cholesterol. The body tightly regulates the total amount of cholesterol in the blood by controlling internal production. This is an example of homeostasis: When cholesterol intake in the diet goes down, the body makes more. When cholesterol intake in the diet goes up, the body makes less. In the end, you can never ingest too much cholesterol, nor does your body actively make extra cholesterol that will contribute to plaque buildup.

If it’s not the cholesterol in the foods you eat that drives up your cholesterol level, then what is it? The answer lies in the delicate balance of the lipids—cholesterol and fats—that are transported through your circulatory system and delivered to the cells that need them. If that delicate balance is upset, cholesterol can find itself where it doesn’t belong— namely in your arteries—and with that the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Yes, the foods you eat can disrupt this balance. But it’s not the ingestion of cholesterol or fats that’s to blame for cardiovascular disease. Rather, it’s the overconsumption of refined carbohydrates.

To sum up: The amount of cholesterol in your diet does not affect your cholesterol levels. Instead, overconsumption of refined carbohydrates can affect how cholesterol and other lipids are transported in the body, and this can lead to the deposition of cholesterol in arterial walls and the buildup of plaque.

Foods with high amounts of cholesterol include egg yolks, caviar, butter, shrimp, cheese, shellfish, and fatty fish, such as sardines. In the past, you may have limited these foods in your diet because of concerns about cholesterol. What a relief to know these foods are not only delicious, they’re also very good for you! So forget that tasteless egg-white omelette and start enjoying omelettes made with rich, highly nutritious egg yolks again.

When you’re talking about fat, you’re probably referring to triglycerides. Triglycerides are the main form of fat in the body and in the foods you eat. Each triglyceride is made up of three fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule, as shown in the following image.

A fatty acid is a chain of carbon atoms that has hydrogen and oxygen atoms attached to it (see the image below). Your body can use the fatty acids in these triglycerides as fuel to power your cells, just as it does with glucose.

Fatty acids come in a number of different chain lengths, which are categorized as short, medium, long, and very long. They can also be classified as saturated or unsaturated. When people talk about saturated and unsaturated fats, they’re talking about the fatty acids that make up a triglyceride molecule.

Now, the really interesting thing is that the three fatty acids in a triglyceride can be in any combination. It’s the different combinations of fatty acids in a triglyceride that give foods their various properties. Take olive oil and coconut oil: Olive oil is liquid and coconut oil is solid! As you can see in the following image, olive oil is made up of mainly unsaturated fats, with a small percentage of saturated fats. Coconut oil, on the other hand, is primarily saturated.

Generally, triglycerides high in saturated fatty acids, such as those found in butter or coconut oil, are solid at room temperature. Triglycerides high in unsaturated fatty acids, for instance those in olive oil and canola oil, are liquid at room temperature. This has to do with the way the carbons in the fatty acid chains are bonded together. In saturated fats, each of the carbons in the chain is bonded to as many hydrogen atoms as possible (in other words, it’s saturated with hydrogen). This allows the atoms to pack together easily and makes them solid. In unsaturated fats, some of the carbons form double bonds between each other, instead of bonding to hydrogen. Take a look at the following image to see the difference between the bonds in saturated and unsaturated fats.

This may seem a bit technical, but it’s important to understand that even seemingly subtle differences, such as the presence or absence of a double bond, the position of the double bond in the fatty acid chain, or the length of the chain, can have a dramatic effect on how your body uses the fat.

Here’s a little more information on the various chain lengths that fatty acids can come in:

Short Chain Fatty Acids

These fats have four to six carbon atoms and are always saturated. Short chain fatty acids are found in butterfat from cows and goats. These fatty acids have antimicrobial properties, meaning they can kill microorganisms such as bacteria or inhibit their growth, throughout the body. They also serve as great sources of energy, as they’re broken down quite readily.

Medium Chain Fatty Acids

These fats have eight to 12 carbon atoms and are found mostly in tropical oils, for instance coconut oil, as well as in butterfat. There are numerous benefits associated with regular consumption of these fats. Like short chain fatty acids, they have antimicrobial properties. They also contribute to the health of your immune system, and studies have shown promising results for their use in treating neurodegenerative disorders including epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. What’s more, it’s been found that, because of how readily they can be used by the body, the consumption of medium chain fatty acids (compared to long chain fatty acids) can lead to weight loss. Since they are readily used as fuel in your body, they are less likely to be stored.

Long Chain Fatty Acids

Long chain fatty acids have from 14 to 18 carbon atoms and can be saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated. Examples of long chain fatty acids include monounsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid, found in olive oil; polyunsaturated fatty acids, for instance gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), found in plant-based oils; and saturated fatty acids, such as stearic acid, found in beef tallow. It’s been found that when fats (especially long chain fatty acids) reach your small intestine, a message signal is sent to your brain that can inhibit eating. The brain can also put a halt to glucose production when these fatty acids are circulating in your bloodstream.

Very Long Chain Fatty Acids

These fats have from 20 to 24 carbon atoms. Most very long chain fatty acids are very unsaturated, and may contain five or six double bonds.Examples of very long chain fatty acids are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), both of which are heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Now let’s go over the differences between saturated and unsaturated fats in more detail and learn more about their role in your diet.

A fatty acid is saturated when each of the carbons in the chain is bonded to as many hydrogen atoms as possible This saturation makes the fatty acids highly stable, which means that they do not normally go rancid, even when heated for cooking purposes. The saturation also makes them straight in form. Hence they pack together easily so that they are solid or semisolid at room temperature.

Saturated fatty acids are found in high proportions in animal fats, dairy products, and tropical oils (such as palm oil and coconut oil).

Saturated Fats’ Bad Reputation

For more than four decades, saturated fatty acids have had a bad reputation. They have been labeled “bad fats,” and the belief that eating saturated fats causes heart disease has become very deeply ingrained in our society. In the influential McGovern report, saturated fats were targeted right along with cholesterol.

So does eating saturated fats really contribute to heart disease? The answer is no!

A large study involving approximately 350,000 participants, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found there was no significant evidence that dietary saturated fat was in any way associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Another study, followed 58,000 Japanese men and women for an average of 14 years. They found that there was no association between saturated fat intake and heart disease. In fact, those who ate more saturated fat had a lower risk of stroke. These are just two examples, but there are many other studies that firmly disprove the association of saturated fatty acids and heart disease. Many other studies that have shown that saturated fatty acids don’t raise blood cholesterol.

Many of these studies have shown that eating saturated fats can have a beneficial impact on your heart health. Positive effects include decreased triglyceride levels, lowered fasting blood glucose, decreased blood pressure, reduced stomach fat, and diminished levels of insulin in the blood.

These studies have shown that saturated fat plays a key role in cardiovascular health by improving cardiovascular risk factors. But saturated fats also have many other benefits. There is a good reason why 54% of the fat in a mother’s breast milk is saturated fat!

The Many Roles of Saturated Fats

Cell membranes (the outer coverings of cells) need saturated fatty acids to function properly. Fully half of your cell membranes are made of saturated fatty acids, which give cells and tissues necessary rigidity and structure. While saturated fatty acids are used to stiffen cell membranes, cholesterol is utilized to make the membranes less permeable. If we don’t eat enough saturated fatty acids, our cell membranes won’t have the structural integrity to function properly. They will become too “floppy.”

Saturated fats work to strengthen many of your body’s systems. They play a vital role in the health of your bones. For calcium to be effectively incorporated into bone tissue, at least 50% of your dietary fats should be saturated. The saturated fats found in butter and coconut oil play key roles in your immune health by protecting you against foreign substances and pathogens. White blood cells, the major immune system cells, lose their ability to recognize and destroy foreign bodies and pathogens if they don’t contain sufficient amounts of saturated fatty acids.

Your brain is mainly composed of fatty acids and cholesterol, and the majority of those fats are saturated. In fact, saturated fats are required for the entire nervous system to function properly.

Dietary saturated fatty acids also help suppress various types of inflammation. People who suffer from chronic inflammatory diseases, such as asthma, may benefit from a diet high in saturated fats. Lung surfactant—a fluid that coats the inner linings of your lungs and reduces surface tension—is composed entirely of saturated fatty acids. When present in sufficient amounts, it can help to prevent acute asthma attacks and other breathing disorders. One study found that children who ate products containing butter and whole milk every day were less likely to develop symptoms of asthma.

There are also animal studies that show a diet high in saturated fat prevents liver disease. In a study published in the journal Gastroenterology, animals that were fed saturated palm oil instead of polyunsaturated fish oil had diminished alcohol-induced liver damage. Another paper, published in the Journal of Nutrition, shows that saturated fat in coconut oil and beef tallow reduced alcohol-induced liver damage when substituted for polyunsaturated corn oil. They also found that the more saturated fat they used, the greater the protective effect.

Another study found the effects are the same for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This is important, because NAFLD happens when fat accumulates in the liver. This fat accumulation is affected by diet and is much more prevalent in obese people. NAFLD was reversed in rats fed a diet high in saturated fats! All of these studies are wonderful stepping stones that lead us toward an understanding of how we can treat and prevent liver disease.

The Diet of Our Ancestors

If you’re not yet convinced of the spectacular health benefits of saturated fatty acids, consider the study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which looked at 229 hunter-gatherer populations that have survived into the present and can be viewed as examples of our Stone Age ancestors. These modern-day hunter-gatherers consume high amounts of animal food, which can make up the majority of their diet. They eat virtually all of the fat on the animal, including its organs, tongue, bone marrow, and brain. Since they do not engage in agriculture, they have no corn, rice, or wheat to eat. They obtain only small amounts of carbohydrates from the wild plants they gather—seeds, nuts, roots, tubers, bulbs, and fruits. The Maasai are a tribe of hunter-gatherers in Kenya and northern Tanzania. Their diet consists mainly of meat, milk, and blood from wild cattle; saturated fatty acids make up about 66% of their diet. Inuits in the Arctic traditionally eat a diet consisting mostly of whale meat and blubber and containing about 75% saturated fatty acids. The Tokelau of New Zealand consume primarily fish and coconut, with a diet containing about 60% saturated fatty acids. All these groups of people have little to no incidence of heart disease.

Unsaturated fats come in two forms: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. These fatty acids are found in higher proportions in plant oils, nuts, seeds, fish, and avocados. You might have heard unsaturated fatty acids labeled as “good fats.” As you’ll see, that isn’t always necessarily the case.

Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFAs)

Monounsaturated fatty acids contain just one of the carbon double bonds that we mentioned earlier—hence, the “mono-“ in the name. This means they are not fully saturated with hydrogen atoms. Monounsaturated fats have a kink or bend at the position of the double bond, so they don’t pack together as easily as saturated fats. They therefore tend to be liquid at room temperature. Like saturated fats, monounsaturated fats are relatively stable. They don’t go rancid easily and so can be used in cooking at lower temperatures.

The monounsaturated fatty acid most commonly found in our foods is oleic acid, also known as omega-9. In fact, omega-9 is the most abundant fatty acid in all of nature! It can be found in animal fats and vegetable oils. It is the main component of olive oil as well as the oils from almonds, pecans, cashews, peanuts, and avocados. It has been found that including monounsaturated fats in your diet, including omega-9, may help lower your risk of heart disease.

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs)

Polyunsaturated fatty acids contain two or more carbon double bonds—that’s why they’re termed polyunsaturated. The more double bonds a fatty acid has, the less saturated it is. The human body is capable of making the saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids you’ve already learned about, so they don’t need to be included in your diet. Your body is not, however, capable of making polyunsaturated fatty acids. Because your body can’t make them but they are indispensable for good health, they are called essential fatty acids. There are only two essential fatty acids, and they are both polyunsaturated. You’ll probably recognize their names: omega-3 and omega-6.

In the early 1900s, most of the fatty acids in the typical diet were either saturated or monounsaturated. They came primarily from butter, lard, tallow, coconut oil, and (in small amounts) olive oil. Today, most of the fats in the typical diet are polyunsaturated and come from vegetable oils derived from soy, corn, safflower, and canola.

Because of the misinformation surrounding the different fats in the diet, most people think that polyunsaturated oils are good, while saturated fats are bad. This is both correct and incorrect. While saturated fats are most definitely good and don’t deserve their bad rap, polyunsaturated fats can be both good and bad. As you’ll see, it’s really the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in your diet that can affect your health.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, and others) as well as in algae, certain plants, and nuts. Your heart may benefit most from omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. Omega-3s protect the heart by decreasing arrhythmias (abnormal heart beats), slowing blood clot formation, lowering blood triglyceride levels, reducing the rate of plaque buildup in your arteries, normalizing blood pressure, and lessening inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids are highly concentrated in your brain and appear to be important for memory and other brain functions as well. In fact, infants who don’t get enough omega-3 fatty acids from their mothers during pregnancy are at risk for developing vision and nerve problems. In addition to helping prevent heart disease, omega-3s can reduce pain from rheumatoid arthritis, boost immunity, and help protect against depression and mood disorders.

Omega-6 Fatty Acids

Omega-6 fatty acids are abundant in modern diets, much more so than omega-3s. They’re found in seeds and nuts as well as numerous vegetable oils. They’re also found in any meats that aren’t from grass-fed animals, because unlike grass-fed animals, these animals will have been fed a diet of omega-6-rich corn and soy. Refined vegetable oils, such as soy oil, are used in most snack foods, creamy salad dressings, cookies, crackers, sweets, and many fast foods. The body uses omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids to build hormones. Hormones built from these two kinds of essential fatty acids have opposite effects. Those from omega-6 fatty acids increase inflammation, which is an important component of the immune response. They also enable blood clotting and cell generation. Hormones built from omega-3 fatty acids decrease those functions. You can see, then, that both kinds of hormones must be present and in balance to maintain your health. This suggests a balance between omega-6 and omega-3 is necessary as well.

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors, who ate whatever foods they could gather or track down, are believed to have consumed omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in roughly equal amounts. Of course, they ate only whole foods—sophisticated food processing technology had yet to be invented. Remember, whole foods are foods that are eaten either just as they are found in nature or with minimal processing. Unlike the whole foods our ancestors ate, the heavily processed foods common in our modern diet include too much of the omega-6s and not enough of the omega-3s. The resulting hormonal imbalance may contribute to our current epidemic of inflammation-related diseases, including asthma, coronary heart disease, many forms of cancer, and a number of autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases. The imbalance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids has also been linked to obesity, depression, dyslexia, and hyperactivity.

Vegetable oil consumption rose dramatically throughout the 20th century, creating a lopsided ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in the American diet. Today, instead of the preferred 1:1, ratios of omega-6 to omega-3 range, on average, from 10:1 to 20:1. Some people even eat 25-30 times more omega-6s than omega-3s! As you know, omega-6 and omega-3 fats have opposite functions in the body. They both compete for the same enzymes that allow hormones to be made. If omega-6s are too plentiful, they will use up the necessary enzymes to build the hormones that cause inflammation, clotting, and other potentially dangerous effects. The omega-3s won’t have enough enzymes to generate the hormones that counter those damaging processes.

Modern Farming Strips Our Food of Omega-3s

Not only has the amount of omega-6 in our foods increased, due to the addition of vegetable oils in many of our food products, but the amount of omega-3s in our farmed goods has also decreased. Sixty percent of the fatty acids in grass are omega-3s. When cattle eat omega-3-rich grass, their meat and milk retain these beneficial fatty acids. But if cattle are shipped to a feedlot to be fattened on omega-3-poor and omega-6-rich grains (such as corn), they can’t build up stores of the health-promoting omega-3 fats.

When chickens are housed indoors and deprived of greens, their meat and eggs are robbed of omega-3s and can be very high in omega-6s. Eggs from pastured hens can contain up to 10 times more omega-3s than eggs from factory hens. The ideal egg is one that comes from a hen that’s been raised outdoors, where she can eat a variety of green plants and insects. Hens raised this way may still eat grain-based feed, but the wild food that they forage boosts the omega-3 content of their eggs.

Many people eat fish specifically to consume more omega-3 fatty acids. However, farm-raised fish have lower levels of omega-3. Farm-raised fish are usually fed corn or soy, just as feedlot animals are. Wild fish eat greens, and some eat other fish that eat greens. This is how they become rich in omega-3s. If you want to eat fish to control inflammatory diseases, choose wild-caught fish over farm-raised fish.

It would be very hard for us to achieve the 1:1 ratio of omegas that characterized our ancestors’ diet. Because of this, nutrition experts suggest that a ratio of 4:1 (omega-6 to omega-3) is acceptable in order to have a fairly balanced diet with few negative health consequences.

How can you know if you’re eating the correct balance of omega-6 to omega-3? A simple blood test will give you the answer. You can request this test from your doctor to give you a better idea of what’s going on inside of your body and what omega ratio your current diet is providing.

Once you know your ratio (and even if you don’t have the test done), there are changes you can make in your diet to reduce the amount of omega-6s and increase the amount of omega-3s. Keep in mind that the more omega-6s you eat, the more omega-3s you’ll need in order to maintain the correct 4:1 balance. This seems reasonable enough, but adding large amounts of omega-3 to your diet is harder than you might think, because of the prevalence of omega-6 in today’s foods. That’s why it is beneficial, and probably necessary, to also reduce your omega-6 intake.

As yet we haven’t said much about the controversial trans fats, but they definitely deserve your attention. Trans fats are “Frankenstein fats”—hydrogenated (artificially modified) vegetable oils that have been widely used in fried and processed foods. Trans fats are popular with food manufacturers because they have a long shelf life—but be aware, eating trans fats might shorten your lifespan. These artificially manipulated fats are highly inflammatory, can damage your arteries, and contribute to heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Food regulations have been changed as the dangers of trans fats have become apparent, and trans fats aren’t used as much as they used to be. However, they are still found in a huge array of products. Always read ingredient labels, and avoid anything that contains hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils: Those are code words for trans fats.

Where Did Trans Fats Come From?

The story of trans fats starts in the late 19th century, when Nobel laureate Paul Sabatier developed the chemistry of hydrogenation. Hydrogenation enables liquid oils to be made into solids, and it made great business sense: Whale oil, fish oil, soybean oil, and other liquid oils with no ready market could be transformed into long-lasting solids with superior baking properties compared to lard. How was this minor miracle of the food industry accomplished? In a saturated fat, every carbon in the chain has as much hydrogen attached to it as possible. Unsaturated fats have less hydrogen and instead have double bonds. Trans fats fall somewhere in the middle. They are created when unsaturated fatty acids, such as those found in vegetable oils, undergo partial hydrogenation, a process that adds some hydrogen to the unsaturated fatty acid without fully saturating it.

Because the new trans fatty acid isn’t fully saturated, it still contains double bonds and is considered unsaturated. Remember, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids tend to bend at the site of their double bonds. Because of this, they pack together less easily, making them liquids. The molecules bend because the hydrogen atoms around their double bonds are all found on the same side of the carbon chain, forcing the fatty acid to bend. One of the interesting side effects of partial hydrogenation is that the hydrogen atoms associated with the double bonds in a trans fatty acid are equally distributed on both sides of the carbon chain. This is known as a trans configuration, and it is what gives trans fats their name. Trans configuration also makes the trans fatty acid very straight. Take a look at the difference between an unsaturated, a saturated, and a trans fatty acid.

It’s this change in geometry that gives trans fats their special qualities. Because they’re straight, the chains are more stable and pack together easily. They’re softer and more flexible than saturated fats, though—think of the softness of margarine as compared to butter.

A Longer Life (Just Not Yours)

One of the most important “improvements” the process of hydrogenation makes possible is extended shelf life. Trans fats don’t go rancid as quickly as natural oils, and they can be reheated more often without breaking down. And that saves money. The first vegetable shortening, which could be used instead of lard in baking, was made possible by hydrogenation. Hydrogenation was also responsible for the creation of margarine, which could be used instead of butter and could be produced out of inexpensive oils. Many consumers embraced both. Over time, these modified vegetable oils started to be seen as healthy alternatives to natural fats.

But as is often the case with a gripping, science-gone-wrong story, this industrially engineered oil eventually revealed a darker and more dangerous side. Researchers became increasingly concerned that once inside the body, trans fats were behaving very strangely, with harmful consequences. Studies revealed that they worsened cholesterol levels and fueled inflammation, which is associated with a host of chronic conditions. Even small amounts, it became clear, pack a dangerous punch.

Trans fats disrupt cell metabolism, causing oxidation, the production of dangerous free radical molecules. Trans fats stack easily, and they stack easily inside artery walls, as well, in arterial plaque. Trans fats are associated with atherosclerosis, in which arteries become hard, stiff, and clogged with plaque deposits.

Trans fats can also damage your cell membranes. Cell membranes are normally made up of about 50% saturated fatty acids. These fatty acids are vital for the healthy functioning of the cell membranes, because they give the membranes structure combined with just the right amount of flexibility. If your diet is high in trans fats, the trans fats will be used instead of saturated fatty acids to build cell membranes. In fact, people who eat large amounts of margarine and other foods containing trans fats have cell membranes that contain up to 20% trans fats. When this happens, cell membranes lose their structural integrity and become distorted and weak.

As you can see, small differences in chemical structure can make big differences in your body. Always check nutrition labels for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils—and stay away from products that contain them! The foods highest in trans fats include margarine and other butter substitutes, fast food, packaged desserts and snack foods, frozen dinners, and baked goods made with shortening.

You now know that cholesterol and certain dietary fats are essential in your diet—and you know which ones to avoid. But how do cholesterol and those essential dietary fats get from your digestive system into your cells? This isn’t as simple as it might at first appear, because lipids and blood, like oil and water, do not mix. If fats and other lipids were simply poured into your blood, they would congeal into unusable globs.

To get around this problem, your body packages lipids into containers called lipoproteins (meaning they’re part lipid and part protein). Lipoproteins mix easily with blood and can move freely through your blood vessels. They’re like ships that sail in your bloodstream, carrying cargos of lipids that couldn’t otherwise move around. The ultimate goal of the lipoproteins is to deliver fats and cholesterol to the cells and tissues that need them.

As you can see in the image, lipoproteins are spherical particles. Their outer shells are made up primarily of phospholipids. Phospholipids are water soluble and do mix with water, and that’s what allows lipoproteins to travel in the blood, which is composed mostly of water.

The outer shell also contains proteins called “apolipoproteins.” There are different types of lipoproteins in the body, all with different functions. The apolipoproteins found in the lipoprotein determines what kind of lipoprotein it is, what kind of lipids it transports, and where it goes. Essentially, apolipoproteins are the captains of the lipoprotein ships. Inside the shell, in the middle of the lipoprotein, are the triglycerides and cholesterol that need to be transported throughout the body.

The complex and finely tuned lipid transportation system maintains a delicate balance in your body. Any disturbance in this balance can have massive and harmful effects on your health. The kinds of foods you eat have an effect on the types of lipoproteins in your blood, increasing some types and decreasing others. This is important, because certain lipoproteins are very beneficial, while others can be very detrimental.

Remember earlier when you learned about cholesterol? This is precisely what we were referring to. The chronic consumption of refined carbs can lead to an increase of a specific lipoprotein that carries cholesterol to the cells in your body. This is a crucial job, as all cells need cholesterol, and under normal conditions, this specific lipoprotein is found in smaller numbers, is larger and fluffier, and does what it’s supposed to. However, when things go wrong, as is generally found in people who eat a diet high in refined carbs, this lipoprotein is smaller, denser, and can be found in far greater numbers. These characteristics mean that oftentimes these lipoproteins will find themselves in places they don’t belong, like lodged in your arterial wall. Here, their cholesterol cargo can be deposited, contributing to the formation of plaques.

Now You Know

You now know more about fats and cholesterol than most doctors! You’ve learned about the different types of lipids, their role in your body, and how they’re transported within your bloodstream by lipoproteins. You’ve seen how the molecular structure of various types of fatty acids gives them their essential qualities, and you know the difference between saturated, unsaturated, and trans fats. You understand why saturated fat and cholesterol don’t deserve the bad rap they’ve been given, and that it’s extremely important to balance the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids in your diet.