Fats for Life

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Fats for Life

 

 

 

Imagine a kind of fat that could help reduce cholesterol levels,

lower

blood pressure, fight dementia and slow down the aging process. This

fat

would be better than any known drug. Best of all, it is not a

fantasy

but a reality. We are talking about certain polyunsaturated, natural

fatty acids, whose beneficial effects have been documented in

thousands

of studies over the last decade. Of crucial importance, however, is

taking the right essential fatty acids in the correct balance.

 

Years of conflicting messages about the role of fat in our diet have

caused much confusion and even skepticism toward new information. In

spite of scientific progress, few commercial messages today are

based on

current scientific knowledge. Instead they are deliberate half-

truths

and misinformation from companies eager to sell their " fat-free " and

" cholesterol-free " products. Hidden are the facts that the sugar and

hydrogenated fats in their products are the real culprits that will

increase the body's own production of cholesterol or other unhealthy

fats, causing exactly the damage thought to be avoided.

 

Fat is necessary for life. It is a key component in body chemistry

and

energy storage. Knowing the difference between the beneficial

essential

fatty acids (EFAs) and the harmful fats is of crucial importance for

health and longevity. Extensive research has made it clear that a

reduced or imbalanced intake of EFAs plays a significant role in the

development of many cardiovascular, neurological, metabolic and

other

age-related degenerative diseases.

 

This research has singled out two particularly beneficial fatty

acids,

GLA and DHA, and pointed to an ideal balance between them that could

guard against disease and age-related disorders in many-fold ways.

These

key fatty acids protect the cardiovascular system, lowering blood

pressure, raising good (HDL) cholesterol while lowering bad (LDL)

cholesterol and triglyceride levels. They reduce stress reactions,

and

may ameliorate insulin resistance. GLA helps reverse the effects of

aging on fatty acid metabolism, while DHA is essential to the

development and maintenance of brain functions, being of crucial

importance for children, as well as for the elderly in prevention

and

treatment of dementia.

 

The richest known source of GLA is borage oil (23% GLA), while DHA

is

plentiful in cold water fish. GLA and DHA make a wonderful team for

health and longevity.

 

Omega-3 and omega-6 oil

 

Fatty acids serve as building blocks of nerve cells, cell membranes

and

biochemical messengers such as prostaglandins. Essential fatty acids

(EFAs) cannot be produced within the body and therefore must be

provided

through the diet. If the diet is lacking in EFAs, saturated fats

will

take the place of EFAs within cell membranes, reducing membrane

fluidity

and efficiency, and thereby starting a process of premature aging

and

disease development. In addition, by taking the right kinds of EFAs

in

the right proportions, we can maximize the production of beneficial

prostaglandins and other chemical messengers, while minimizing

production of harmful ones.

 

 

 

Getting the omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in the right proportions

can

reduce bad LDL cholesterol and raise good HDL cholesterol

There are two families of EFAs: omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Experimental studies confirm that a balanced combination of these

two

families is essential for maximal effect in lowering blood pressure,

improving the serum lipid profile and reducing atherosclerosis. When

dietary omega-6 and omega-3 oils were used separately and in

combination

in a study on the regression of experimental atherosclerosis in

rabbits,

cholesterol levels decreased faster in the group fed the combination

oils. In this group there was also a three-fold reduction of

atherosclerotic plaques in the aorta compared to untreated animals

(Khalilov et al., 1997).

 

An ambitious study of different ratios and dosages of EFAs, given to

20

Vervet monkeys over a 12 weeks period, documented the importance of

getting these essential fatty acids in the right proportion. The

results

indicate that a combination of omega-6 and omega-3 (in this case,

GLA

and EPA), in a proportion ranging from 2:1 to 4:1 (two to four parts

of

omega-6 to one part of omega-3), is the ideal combination to reduce

bad

LDL cholesterol, raise good HDL cholesterol and thus improve the

LDL/HDL

cholesterol ratio (van Jaarsveld et al., 1997).

 

This finding conforms with recommendations by a number of health

agencies around the world, including the World Health Organization,

the

British Nutrition Foundation and the Japan Society for Lipid

Nutrition.

Based on evidence that an elevated ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty

acids is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases, these

agencies

recommend a ratio ranging from approximately 2:1 to 4:1 (Horrocks et

al., 1999). Due to the disproportionate level of omega-6 oils in the

typical American diet, it is preferable to supplement at the lower

end

of this range, at a ratio of two parts omega-6 to one part omega-3

oils.

 

 

GLA & DHA

 

To express their full biological activity, the two " parent " EFAs,

linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3) must be

metabolized in several steps with the help of important enzymes. In

this

process GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) is produced from linoleic acid,

and

DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) as well as EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid)

from

alpha-linolenic acid. The high ratio of linoleic acid (omega-6) to

alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3), typically found in western diets,

will

inhibit both the uptake and the conversion of alpha-linolenic acid

due

to competition for the same enzymes between the two EFAs.

 

 

Prostaglandins

The Good and Bad

 

Too much prostaglandin E2 can lead to degenerative disease, whereas

high

levels of beneficial pros-taglandin E1 and E3 protect the body. Here

is

a brief description of how these prostaglandins function in the

body:

 

• Prostaglandin E1 prevents blood platelets from sticking together,

thereby helping to prevent heart attacks and strokes caused by blood

clots. It relaxes blood vessels, improving circulation and lowering

blood pressure. It reduces inflammation, makes insulin work more

effectively and enhances the T-cell function of the immune system.

GLA

increases this beneficial prostaglandin.

 

• Prostaglandin E2 promotes platelet aggregation, the first step to

clot

formation, increasing the risk for heart attack and stroke. It makes

the

kidneys retain sodium, leading to water retention, and it causes

inflammation. Diets high in saturated fats (arachidonic acid)

increase

levels of this pro-inflammatory prostaglandin.

 

• Prostaglandin E3 has similar functions as prostaglandin E1. It

also

has a powerful effect of preventing the release of arachidonic acid

stored in cell membranes and its conversion to prostaglandin E2.

Omega-3

fatty acids are the source of this beneficial prostaglandin.

 

The first step in both these conversion processes is controlled by

the

enzyme D6D (delta-6 desaturase). Unfortunately, D6D activity

declines

with age, and is reduced in some individuals even at a younger age

(Horrobin, 1981). This not only inhibits the synthesis of GLA and

DHA,

but also leads to a prostaglandin imbalance with decline of the good

series-1 and series-3 prostaglandins and other beneficial

eicosanoids,

which exhi-bit potent anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory

effects.

The reduced capacity to convert parent EFAs to GLA and DHA is

associated

with conditions including cardiovascular disease, diabetes,

alcoholism,

atopic dermatitis, premenstrual syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and

cancer (Bolton-Smith et al., 1997; Leventhal et al., 1993; Horrobin,

1993), as well as learning deficits and development of dementia.

 

The exciting news is that supplementation with GLA and DHA can

circumvent impaired D6D function, and restore levels of the good

prostaglandins. Moreover, GLA supplementation actually increases D6D

activity, reversing the effect of aging on the enzyme itself (Biagi

et

al., 1991). In this way, GLA supplementation improves the meta-

bolism of

both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. It has also become clear that

the

omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA limit the production of the bad

series-2

prostaglandins by preventing the release of arachidonic acid from

cell

membranes, inhibiting its further metabolism. A high amount of

linoleic

acid (omega-6), on the other hand, limits the availability of

alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3) as a precursor for the good series-3

prostaglandins and stimulates the formation of arachidonic acid, the

precursor to the bad prostaglandins (series-2) and other

pro-inflammatory eicosanoids.

 

Biagi et al. (1991) studied both old and young rats that were fed

either

a GLA-rich diet or a control diet. Old animals fed the control diet

showed a clear decline in the level of delta-6-desaturated meta-

bolites

of both the omega-6 and the omega-3 series. In the GLA group of old

mice

there was no decline of these metabolites.

 

A study of more than 10,000 middle-aged men and women in Scotland

showed

that aging influences the fatty acid composition of adipose (fatty)

tissue independently of diet (Bolton-Smith et al., 1997). The study

confirms the earlier mentioned experimental findings of an age-

related

decline in the rate-limiting step of delta-6-desaturation, and in

addition discovered a greater decline in women than in men. The

results

indicate that an increase in dietary GLA could offset the age-

related

imbalance in fatty acid levels.

 

GLA and DHA both have preventive effects on atherosclerosis and

heart

attacks by lowering blood pressure and serum lipids and reducing

cardiovascular reactions to stress. While GLA in addition has anti-

aging

effects, DHA has a unique role in the development and maintenance of

the

nervous system. It has proven to be important for development,

learning

and behavior in children as well as for prevention and treatment of

dementia.

 

Cardiovascular disease

 

Beneficial effects of both GLA and DHA on the cardiovascular system

have

been extensively documented in experimental and human studies:

moderate

but consistent blood pressure lowering effects, significant

reductions

of serum lipids, and beneficial influence on insulin resistance

which

plays a large role in the development of diabetes, atherosclerosis

and

heart attacks. Much research is currently focused on unraveling the

many-fold mechanisms of action behind these favorable influences.

 

Hypertension

 

Early detection is of great importance, since life style changes as

well

as medication is likely to prevent further development of serious

complications. Incorporation of GLA and DHA in the diet has proven

to be

one of these changes that can reduce the blood pressure and help

lower

the risk of heart attacks, stroke and kidney failure.

 

 

 

Borage oil and DHA have blood pressure lowering effects

In contrast to earlier beliefs, we now know that a stable systolic

blood

pressure (below 140 mmHg) is equally or even more important than a

" normal " diastolic pressure (less than 90 mmHg). Systolic blood

pressure

increases with aging as a result of increased stiffness of the

arteries

and is a stronger predictor of risk in the elderly than the

diastolic

pressure. A pulse pressure (the difference between systolic and

diastolic pressure) of more than 60 is a marker for advanced

atherosclerosis and indicates a high risk for a cardiovascular event.

 

In most cases of hypertension (95%) no specific reason can be found

for

the elevated pressure, a condition known as essential or idiopathic

hypertension. Results from a clinical, double blind, crossover study

by

Venter et al. (1988) support the hypothesis that deficiency of the

enzyme D6D, so common in aging, may play an important part in the

etiology of idiopathic hypertension. The study furthermore validates

the

earlier findings that a ratio of 2:1 of GLA and DHA/EPA is

beneficial in

prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

 

This trial involved 25 non-obese patients with mild-moderate

essential

hypertension. One group was given capsules containing 360 mg GLA and

180

mg EPA/day, while the other group received capsules containing only

linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid, the parent EFAs that need

the

enzyme D6D for their metabolism to GLA and EPA/DHA. The average

systolic

blood pressure in the first group was significantly reduced (~ 10 %)

after 8 to 12 weeks of therapy, while there was no significant

change in

the second group, indicating that deficiency of the enzyme D6D is

likely

to promote an increase of blood pressure.

 

 

JoAnn Guest

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Friendsforhea-

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