What are Essential Fats?

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What are Essential Fats? JoAnn Guest Aug 16, 2003 15:22 PDT

What are Essential Fats?

 

Scientists have given essential fats (a.k.a. essential fatty acids or

EFAs)their name because the body must have them to survive, but cannot

synthesize them from any other substance we eat,

so a direct food source is required. Hence, the name essential.

 

Why do we need Essential Fats?

 

Just as a member of a large family has many roles,essential fats serve

many functions in the complex workings of the human body.

 

Taken in the right amounts and ratios,and from the right sources,

essential fats help establish and maintain health.

 

The BRAIN is comprised mainly of Essential Fatty Acids—-sixty percent to

be exact!

 

Essential Fatty Acids are important components of the entire nervous

system.

 

They are necessary to make the neurotransmitter *serotonin*.

 

Depression and other brain diseases show decreased levels of n-3s.

 

What are the functions of essential fatty acids?

 

Essential fatty acids have many functions throughout the body.

They are involved in:

 

The EFA blend improves mental stamina.

 

Brain Function. In our work with the blended oil, we have seen

consistent improvements in brain function, and research with EFAs from

other sources has also shown brain benefits.

 

Among these are elevated mood, lifted depression, increased calmness,

better handling of stress, less hyperactivity, better focus, better

mental processing, faster learning, increased intelligence, better

concentration, and improved motor coordination.

 

Among the mentally ill, EFAs can decrease hallucinations in

schizophrenics, elevate mood, lift depression, improve symptoms in

bipolar and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and improve brain function in

Alzheimer's disease and autism.

 

o Cancer. N-3 EFAs lower cancer risk.

o Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). N-3 can decrease most CVD risk factors,

including high triglycerides (blood fats), blood pressure, platelet

stickiness, fibrinogen, and lipoprotein(a). N-3 also keep the inside of

our arteries smooth. N-3 and n-6 keep the heart beat regular.

 

o Diabetes. EFAs are required for insulin function. N-3 make diabetics

more insulin-sensitive.

o Weight Management. N-6 slightly and n-3 more effectively help reduce

fat production in the body. They also increase fat burning and heat

production in the body, and shift the body from burning glucose to

burning fats. Saturated, monounsaturated, and trans- fatty acids do not

help to manage weight. Sugar triggers increased fat production in the

body. Starch can also lead to overweight.

o Digestion. EFAs improve gut integrity, decrease gut inflammation, and

decrease 'leaky gut' that can lead to allergies.

o Allergies. EFAs reduce symptoms of allergies. They work best if

digestive enzymes rich in protein-digesting protease are also used.

o Inflammation. N-3 reduce inflammation. Digestive enzymes are also

helpful.

o Autoimmune Conditions. N-3 dampen the over-response of the immune

system in autoimmune conditions. Again, enzymes are also helpful.

o Injury. EFAs speed the healing of injuries.

o Bone Minerals. N-3 improve bone mineral retention, thereby inhibiting

the development of osteoporosis.

o Stress. EFAs, by optimizing serotonin production, improve response to

stress. People report feeling calmer, getting stressed less easily,

dealing with stressful situations more calmly, and losing their temper

less often.

o Sleep. EFAs improve sleep in some people.

o Hormones. EFAs improve hormone functions. Hormone levels may decrease,

yet the effects of hormones remain normal. EFAs thereby ease the work

load of glands.

o Organs. EFAs are required for liver and kidney function.

o Reproduction. EFAs are required for sperm formation, the female cycle,

and pregnancy.

 

http://www.udoerasmus.com./FAQ.htm

 

Essential fats are easily damaged by light, air, heat, metals,

water, and time. Of all essential nutrients, essential fats are by far

the most abused because they are perishable, chemically unstable foods.

 

The majority of refined *supermarket* oils, including oils used in

processed refined foods,have been damaged by destructive processing

techniques,which include refining with caustic chemicals, bleaching,

overheating, and/or

partial hydrogenation (a process which produces n-6s in the form of

deadly trans fats).

 

 

In 1994, a Harvard School of Public Health press release warned the

consumers on the dangers of eating n-6s in commercial oils and trans

fatty acids (found in margarines, most commercially baked goods, and

deep-frying oils. This includes the majority of oils used in restaurants

as well.

 

On June 23, 1999, they again announced a press release on the most

recent trans-fat research.

 

It was titled: " Harvard review of evidence verifies that eating n-6s in

trans fats increases risk of disease " .

 

Head author, Alberto Ascherio, revealed that... if trans-fats

Were replaced by the monounsaturated fats in extra virgin olive oil, we

would expect to see 30,000 fewer premature deaths from CHD (coronary

heart disease) each year. " That number was based on the United States

alone!

 

By now, it may be clear that everybody needs essential fats.

 

N-3 consumption has *decreased* to one sixth the level found in our

food supply in the 1850s.

 

N-6 consumption has *doubled* over that same period of time,

drastically changing the ratio of n-6 to n-3 in our food supply.

 

This change is reflected in the makeup of our tissue fats and in our

health.

 

That means that while both n-3s and n-6s are required by

every cell, we get too much n-6 and far too little n-3s.

 

Each EFA is turned into several derivatives by the body, provided enough

n-3 and n-6, in the right ratio, and made with health in mind, are

supplied.

 

Research shows that n-3s help in more than twice as many degenerative

diseases than do n-6s.

 

More recently (the last 20 years), 'low' fat, 'no' fat, and 'fake'

fat diets have been depriving people of their essential fats. This

happens because n-6s in refined oils are at the very root of these

imbalances.

 

Deficiency of essential fatty acids leads to deterioration of every

cell,tissue, gland, organ and organ system and, by extension, to

symptoms of deficiency that accompany loss of health.

 

 

Where do Essential Fats come from?

 

Good sources of n-3s are fresh organic green leafy vegetables and nuts.

 

The n-3 derivatives EPA and DHA are found in high fat,cold water fish

such as albacore tuna (non-msg varieties), sardines in water, Alaskan

salmon, Pacific and herring, Atlantic mackerel, and lake trout.

 

 

N-6 is commonly found in sesame seeds,sunflower seeds and other seeds

and nuts.

 

Land animal meats and fish are sources of the n-6 derivative

arachidonic acid (AA).The fish listed above are preferred sources of

n-3 and n-6 derivatives, because they are the richest sources, and

contain both, with more n-3s.

 

EFAs make hormone-like *eicosanoids* that regulate immune and

inflammatory responses.

 

N-3s have anti-inflammatory effects and can slow autoimmune damage and

lower risk factors for cardiovascular disease as well.

 

EFAs (especially n3s) lower abnormally high levels of blood

pressure, triglycerides, Lipoprotein(a), fibrinogen, tendency to clot

formation, and inflammation;

 

Improve brain function: mood, intelligence, behavior,

 

and vision.

 

EFAs help keep mood and energy up and suppress appetite,thereby aiding

in weight loss.

 

More recently, they have been found to block the genes that produce fat

in the body

(saturated and trans-fats do not have the same effect)

 

and increase thermogenesis; Regulate organs and glands--

 

Liver and kidneys, adrenal and thyroid glands,

 

and the production of male and female hormones need EFAs;

 

Speed recovery and healing.

 

 

 

Improve digestion.

 

Poorly digested foods tie up the immune system and can cause gut

inflammation, leaky gut, and allergies.

 

N-3s improve gut integrity, and decrease inflammation and " leaky gut " ;

 

Decrease infection.

 

EFAs have anti-fungal, anti-yeast, and anti-

microbial properties,helping to protect against infections;

 

Keep bones strong.

 

EFAs aid in the transport of minerals that keep

bones and teeth strong, helping to prevent osteoporosis;

 

Protect genetic material.

 

EFAs regulate gene expression, and n-3s inhibit tumor growth.

 

 

 

Where do we get Undamaged Essential Fats?

 

Oils made with health in mind come from organically grown seeds.

 

They are pressed under protection from heat, light, and oxygen;

packaged in tightly sealed brown glass bottles; placed in a

light-excluding box; and stored in the fridge.

 

Oils made with this care - the highest possible quality - are mostly

found in health food stores and naturopathic physician

offices, although some department stores and specialty stores are

now also servicing their customers.

 

 

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

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