Fwd: Mary Enig speaks out on Heart Disease and Trans fatty acids

[Guest guest]

Mary Enig speaks out on Heart Disease and Trans fatty acids

 

 

> Contained herein is a lengthy explanation of the effects of trans fatty

acids within the human body.

 

AS YOU CAN SEE, THESE UNNATURAL FATS CONTRIBUTE TO MANY MAJOR DISEASES!

 

> > Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., a nutritionist widely known for her research on the

 

> > nutritional aspects of fats and oils, is a consultant,

 

> > clinician, and the Director of the Nutritional

 

> > Sciences Division of Enig Associates, Inc., Silver

 

Ø > Spring, Maryland.

 

Ø

 

> She received her PhD in Nutritional

 

> > Sciences from the University of Maryland, College Park

 

> > in 1984, taught a graduate course in nutrient-drug

 

> > interactions for the University's Graduate Program in

 

> > Nutritional Sciences, and held a Faculty Research

 

> > Associateship from 1984 through 1991 with the Lipids

 

> > Research Group in the Department of Chemistry and

 

Ø > Biochemistry.

 

 

 

>

 

> Dr. Enig is a Consulting Editor

 

> > to the " Journal of the American College of Nutrition "

 

 

 

Ø She has published 14 scientific

 

> > papers on the subject of food fats and oils, several

 

> > chapters on nutrition for books, and presented over 35

 

Ø > scientific papers on food and nutrition topics.

 

Ø

 

Ø She is

 

> > the President of the Maryland Nutritionists

 

> > Association, past President of the Coalition of

 

> > Nutritionists of Maryland and was appointed by the

 

> > Governor in 1986 to the Maryland State Advisory

 

> > Council on Nutrition and served as the Chairman of the

 

> > Health Subcommittee until the Council was disbanded in

 

> > 1988.

 

> Ø In her 1978 report,

 

Ø Dr. Enig

 

> > challenged the speculation concerning the relationship

 

of dietary fat and cancer causation.

 

She concluded

 

> > that correlations between the increase in per capita

 

> > dietary fat intake and total cancer mortality over a

 

> > sixty-year period show significant positive

 

> > correlations for total fat and vegetable fat, and

 

negative correlation for animal fat.

 

That is the cancer rate is higher when the amount of vegetable fat

 

> > or total fat is higher in the diet, but the cancer

 

> > rate is lower when there there is more animal fat in

 

the diet.

 

 

 

Ø These findings were unpopular then as they

 

> > are today, but they are still correct. It is

 

> > convenient to blame everything on red meat and animal

 

> > fat, and believe that vegetable oil is the great

 

> > dietary salvation-even if it is partially

 

> > hydrogenated. At least that is what the vegetable oil

 

> > people would like everyone to believe.

 

> >

 

>

 

> Eating vegetables, fruits and other whole

 

foods is very desirable.

 

However, that is not the same

 

> > as eating partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils.

 

> > Americans eat too much fat (especially partially

 

> > hydrogenated vegetable oils) and not enough fruits and

 

Ø > vegetables.

 

Ø The problem is that the typical American

 

> > is not eating enough whole foods, but instead, is

 

> > eating too much partially-hydrogenated vegetable oil-a

 

> > fractionated food-that has been made into " funny

 

> > foods " such as margarine or added to baked goods. Such

 

> > " funny foods " are far different than real whole

 

> > foods.

 

>

 

>

 

> > <Hydrogenation ruins the

 

> > nutritional value of vegetable oils! Why would anyone

 

want to ruin the nutrition value of vegetable oils?

 

Ø

 

> > The purpose of hydrogenation is to solidify an oil so

 

> > that it can be made to resemble real foods such as

 

> > butter. The hydrogenation process imparts desirable

 

> > features such as spreadability, texture, " mouth feel, "

 

> > and increased shelf life to naturally liquid vegetable

 

oils.

 

Ø In the hydrogenation process, vegetable oil is

 

> > reacted under pressure with hydrogen gas at 250 -

 

> > 400o F for several hours in the presence of a catalyst

 

such as nickel or platinum.

 

 

 

However, this industrial

 

> > process cannot control where the hydrogen atoms are

 

> > added to the " unsaturated " double bonds.

 

Randomly

 

> > adding hydrogen atoms to polyunsaturated fats converts

 

> > natural food components into many compounds, some of

 

> > which have never seen before by man until partially

 

> > hydrogenated fats were manufactured.

 

>

 

>

 

> > Some of the several dozens of

 

> > altered compounds created in the manufacture of

 

partially-hydrogenated fats are " trans " fatty acids.

 

Ø

 

> > Fatty acids are the building blocks of fats, much like

 

amino acids are the building blocks of proteins.

 

Ø

 

Other

 

> > new compounds accidentally synthesized include fatty

 

> > acids having double bonds translocated to new and

 

> > un-natural positions, and various molecular fragments.

 

> > Many of these altered compounds are detrimental to

 

health> > Since " trans " fats are so

 

> > detrimental to our health. permit me to briefly review

 

> > the relevance of distinguishing between " trans " and

 

" cis " fats

 

Ø

 

Recently, in

 

> > the September issue, in the interview with Dr. Jim

 

> > Clark and Mr. Lance Schilipalius, we discussed " trans "

 

isomers of carotenoids.

 

Ø

 

Ø " Trans " means the same thing

 

> > here. " Cis " and " trans " isomers refer to how identical

 

> > atoms are added to double bonds. When the atoms are

 

> > added to the same side of the double bond, the

 

> > compound is called " cis " and the molecule is bent

 

because of the crowding of the atoms on one side.

 

Ø

 

Ø When

 

> > the atoms are added on opposite sides of the double

 

> > bond, the compound is called " trans " and molecule is

 

> > " space-balanced " and straightened. The shape of a

 

> > molecule is important because

 

enzymes and their

 

> > substrates-the molecules enzymes act upon-must fit

 

> > together like a key in a lock.

 

 

 

 

 

>

 

> > Dr. Enig will discuss this

 

> > during the interview, but the important thing to

 

> > remember is that natural polyunsaturated fatty acids

 

are " cis " compounds and are bent.

 

 

 

Partial

 

> > hydrogenation produces many un-natural " trans " fats

 

> > which are straight and not intended for use in the

 

human body.

 

 

 

Ø You don't have to understand the

 

> > difference between " trans " and " cis, " but it is

 

> > important that you know that there is a difference

 

> > because, as Dr. Enig will explain, it can affect your

 

> > health.

 

>

 

> > Dr. Enig, a

 

> > lot of people are interested in " trans " fats now. You

 

> > have been researching them since 1977. How are trans

 

> > fats harmful to us?

 

>

 

> > Enig: More than a decade

 

> > of research at the University of Maryland, as well as

 

> > research that was being done at other institutions,

 

> > showed that consumption of trans fatty acids from

 

> > partially hydrogenated (a process that adds hydrogen

 

Ø > to solidify or harden) vegetable fats and oils

 

Ø had

 

> > many adverse effects in health areas such as heart

 

> > disease, cancer, diabetes, immunity, reproduction and

 

lactation, and obesity.

 

Ø

 

>

 

> The reason there is so much

 

> > recent interest is that during the past three years

 

> > there has been a number of major research reports

 

> > published in prestigious medical journals that caught

 

Ø > the attention of the press.

 

Ø

 

Ø These and earlier reports

 

> > had shown, for example, that consumption of trans

 

> > fatty acids lower the " good " HDL cholesterol in a dose

 

> > response manner (the higher the trans fat level in the

 

Ø > diet, the lower the HDL level in the blood)

 

Ø and raise

 

> > the atherogenic lipoprotein(a) in humans as well as

 

> > raising the " bad " LDL cholesterol and total blood

 

cholesterol levels by 20-30 milligram-percent.

 

Ø

 

Ø These

 

> > studies have usually been shown in independent

 

> > non-industry studies. Perhaps the most significant

 

> > event though was the report from researchers at

 

> > Harvard University, who evaluated more than 85,000

 

Ø > women in a long-term prospective study and found that

 

Ø

 

> > there was a significantly higher intake of trans fatty

 

> > acids in those individuals who developed heart

 

> > disease.

 

>

 

> >

 

>

 

> As regards to the question of

 

Ø > cancer,

 

Ø trans fatty acids induce adverse alterations

 

> > in the activities of the important enzyme system that

 

> > metabolizes chemical carcinogens and drugs

 

> > (medications), i. e., the mixed-function oxidase

 

Ø > cytochromes P-448/450.

 

Ø

 

Ø The initial research in this

 

> > area was done by the Maryland group in collaboration

 

> > with the U. S. Food and Drug Administration, and was

 

> > followed by the more extensive evaluation that I did

 

> > for my Ph.D. dissertation; several groups around the

 

> > country and the world also reported the same or

 

Ø > similar results.

 

Ø

 

Ø Several groups around the world

 

> > reported a higher intake of partially hydrogenated

 

> > fats in those individuals who have developed

 

> > cancer.

 

>

 

> >Both primate and human studies

 

> > have shown inappropriate handling of blood sugar;

 

> > trans fatty acids decrease the response of the red

 

> > blood cell to insulin, thus having a potentially

 

undesirable effect in diabetics.

 

The primate research

 

> > was initiated at Maryland in collaboration with the U.

 

> > S. Department of Agriculture and the National

 

> > Institutes of Health, and the human research is from

 

> > the University of Pittsburgh and quite recent.

 

>

 

>

 

> One major concern is that trans

 

> > fatty acids adversely affect immune response by

 

> > lowering efficiency of B cell response and increasing

 

proliferation of T cells.

 

Ø This was shown in research

 

> > done at Maryland using a mouse model and although

 

> > there are reports from clinicians that there are

 

> > problems of immune dysfunction in humans it still

 

> > needs to be evaluated systematically in

 

> > humans.

 

>

 

>

 

>

 

>

 

> > Basically, trans fatty acids

 

> > cause alterations to numerous physiological functions

 

> >

 

> > composition. of biological membranes that are known to be critical

 

> for cell homeostasis, e.g., appropriate membrane

 

> transport and membrane fluidity, and these fatty acid

 

> isomers produce alterations in adipose cell size, cell

 

> number and lipid class

 

>

 

>

 

Enig: To understand what

 

> > trans fatty acids are you have to understand what

 

fatty acids are.

 

Ø

 

Ø Fatty acids are basically chains of

 

> > carbon with a carboxyl group (COOH) at one end that

 

> > can react (e.g., combine) with another molecule. When

 

> > fatty acids are in fats or oils they are combined with

 

> > glycerol in the proportions of three fatty acid

 

> > molecules to one glycerol molecule and they form

 

> > triacylglycerols or in common terminology,

 

> > triglycerides.

 

>

 

> >Fatty acids come in different

 

> > chain lengths ranging from three carbons long

 

> > (propionic acid) to 24 carbons long (lignoceric acid).

 

> > These fatty acids are either " saturated " (with an

 

> > adequate number of hydrogen atoms) and chemically

 

> > stable, or they are " unsaturated " (missing adequate

 

hydrogens) and chemically unstable.

 

 

 

Ø If a fatty acid is

 

> > missing two hydrogens, it is called a monounsaturated

 

> > fatty acid, and in place of the two hydrogens, the

 

> > adjacent carbons " double " bond to each other. If the

 

> > fatty acid is missing four or six or more hydrogens,

 

> > it is called a polyunsaturated fatty acid, and it is

 

> > even more unstable than the monounsaturated fatty

 

Ø > acid.

 

Ø

 

Ø Because the double bonds in naturally occurring

 

> > plant oil fatty acids are curved with a " cis "

 

> > configuration, the fatty acids cannot pack into a

 

> > crystal form at normal temperatures so their presence

 

> > produces a liquid oil. Saturated fatty acids have a

 

> > straight configuration and can pack into a solid

 

> > crystal at normal temperatures.

 

>

 

>

 

> If the unsaturated fatty acids

 

> > are altered by partial hydrogenation to straighten the

 

> > chains so that they have some of the physical packing

 

> > properties of saturated fatty acids they have had

 

> > their " cis " double bond changed to a " trans " double

 

> > bond and they turn a technically mostly unsaturated

 

oil into a solid fat.

 

Ø The trans fatty acids are the

 

> > same length and weight as the original " cis " fatty

 

> > acid they were formed from, and although they have the

 

> > same number of carbons, hydrogens, and oxygens they

 

> > are shaped differently in space. The term that is used

 

Ø > is that they are " isomers. "

 

Ø The problem arises when a

 

> > large number of the trans fatty acids are consumed

 

> > from foods and they are deposited in those parts of

 

> > the cell membranes that are supposed to have either

 

> > saturated fatty acids or " cis " unsaturated fatty

 

> > acids; under these circumstances the trans fatty acids

 

> > essentially foul up the " machinery.

 

>

 

> Although the trans fatty acids

 

> > are chemically " monounsaturated " or " polyunsaturated "

 

> > they are considered so different from the " cis "

 

> > monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids that

 

> > they cannot be legally designated, e.g.,

 

> > monounsaturated for purposes of labeling. Most of the

 

> > trans fatty acids produced by the partial

 

> > hydrogenation process are chemically

 

> > monounsaturates.

 

>

 

> There have always been small

 

> > amounts of one kind of trans fatty acids in the human

 

> > diet from the ruminant fats (dairy, sheep, goat, deer,

 

> > buffalo, antelope, etc.) because the microorganisms in

 

> > the rumen try to get rid of the polyunsaturated fatty

 

> > acids that are found in the plant foods eaten by these

 

> > animals. In the early days of trans fatty acid

 

> > research, the researchers assumed that the trans fatty

 

> > acids found in ruminant fats were no different than

 

> > those produced by partial hydrogenation in the

 

Ø > factory.

 

Ø But the studies showed that not only was the

 

> > amount much smaller (e.g., the fat in butter might be

 

> > 2-3% of the ruminant trans), the effect on the

 

> > " machinery " in the cell membranes was not different

 

than without the trans.

 

Yet all studies feeding the

 

> > trans produced by partially hydrogenating the

 

> > vegetable oils showed the adverse effect on the cell

 

machinery. "

 

 

 

JoAnn Guest

 

joguest

 

Friendsforhealthnaturally

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Transfats.html

 

http://canceranswer.homestead.com/AIM.html

 

 

 

 

Organic Farming Quotable Quotes= " A nation that destroys its soils destroys

itself " -----*Franklin D. Roosevelt* " Food is power... are you in control of

yours? " *John Jeavons*, Ecology Action-- " Health is not a medical issue! "

=Theaimcompanies == http://canceranswer.homestead.com/AIM.html

 

 

 

 

Check out Shopping and Auctions for all of your holiday gifts!

 

Organic Farming Quotable Quotes= " A nation that destroys its soils destroys

itself " -----*Franklin D. Roosevelt* " Food is power... are you in control of

yours? " *John Jeavons*, Ecology Action-- " Health is not a medical issue! "

=Theaimcompanies == http://canceranswer.homestead.com/AIM.html

 

 

 

 

Check out Shopping and Auctionsfor all of your holiday gifts!