The Inuit Paradox: EFAs and CVD

[Guest guest]

http://www.NaturalNews.com/022868.html

(NaturalNews) Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is rare in Inuit people who

continue to eat their 'traditional' diet. But how can eating a diet

predominantly consisting of seal meat, fat and blubber and almost

completely void of greens, fruits and fiber be 'preventative' of the

very disease which plagues the entire western world and for which

medical orthodoxy blames on diets high in saturated fats and

cholesterol?

 

Also, by adopting medicine's low-fat, low-cholesterol diet and drug

regimes, CVD continues to increase with no cures in site. Herein lies

the paradox... if high fat and high cholesterol diets cause CVD, then

what is 'protecting' the traditional Inuit, which has thrived on a diet

rich in both?

 

One of the differences is that the traditional Inuit's diet is very high

in Omega-3 fats while our western diet is very high in Omega-6 fats.

Science has shown that the ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 should be as

close to a ratio of 1:1 and certainly no more than 4:1. Inuits are about

the only peoples to approach the 1:1 ratio while we typically come in at

20:1 and the real junk foodists are measuring in at upwards of 50:1

ratios. A balanced Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio promotes a homeostasis,

non-inflammatory state in the body while a tilt to the high Omega-6 side

will promote an inflammatory and therefore disease and degenerative

state.

 

Here is what happens with the imbalance. Man-made vegetable oil diets

(margarine and other hydrogenated oils) are high in Omega-6 fatty acids

and as such convert into high levels of Arachidonic Acid ('AA'). This

molecule is the necessary precursor to Prostaglandin 2, a

'pro-inflammatory', albeit necessary hormone-like molecule found in all

cells. The excessive amounts of 'AA' in our Omega-6 rich western diets

thus contribute largely to our chronic inflammatory degenerative

diseases such as CVD, asthma and arthritis.

 

Conversely, a diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids contains the now

well-known essential fatty acid molecule 'EPA'. EPA is responsible for

the production of Prostaglandin '3', an anti-inflammatory molecule and

therefore a soothing response to our runaway 'silent' and not so silent

inflammatory and disease states. Therein is one of the secrets to

preventing the majority of cardiovascular diseases.

Inuits consume large amounts of seal meat and blubber and thus receive

significant amounts of three (3) essential fatty acids EPA, DHA, DPA.

The latter, is not readily found in fish oils. DPA is an important

factor in preventing plaque and keeping the arteries soft and elastic.

EPA is a huge factor in fighting inflammation while DHA is the essential

molecule for brain, nerve and eye tissues and is a powerful factor for

normalizing blood and tissue triglycerides. You can see why seal oil has

become my first choice for the 3 pre-formed Omega-3 essential fatty

acids (EFA's) and is an integral part of my heart prevention trio of

necessary therapeutic nutrients.

 

Vitamin C is anther important factor. But where do Inuits get their

Vitamin C? This puzzled me for many years until I discovered that seal

and whale skin and blubber ('Muktuk' or 'Muktaaq', an Inuit favorite),

and to a lesser extent seal meat, are rich in this essential collagen

forming antioxidant vitamin. Thus the Inuit on a traditional diet gets

more Vitamin C than the average westerners typically do. We know that

Vitamin C is essential in Collagen synthesis, a necessary factor in

artery strength and integrity, and a prime factor in reversing and

preventing heart disease.

 

Seal meat and especially blubber, are also very high in Vitamins E, A, D

and selenium. Recently, researchers have concluded that these inherent

antioxidants are very big reasons why Inuits are free of CVD while other

mostly fish eating populations are still prone to this disease. Fish

oils alone will not do the same as will seal oil.

 

Important in the conversion of Omega-6 oils into Omega-3 EFA's are

optimum levels of magnesium, selenium, zinc, B3 (niacin) and B6. The

conversion just won't happen without these essential nutrients. Liquid

ionic magnesium forms part of my heart prevention 'trio' of nutrients

mentioned above.

 

To gain the upper hand on Cardiovascular Disease and other inflammatory

degenerative diseases, we can all learn from the tried and true Omega 3

fat-rich Inuit diet. We should immediately strive to achieve a better

balance of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fats in our deficient Western diets. While

eating seal meat and blubber does not appeal to the vast majority of us,

supplementing with 3-4 grams of seal oil daily could go a long way in

reversing the trend towards heart disease and strokes. Eating more fish

is another good way.

About the author

 

Dr. Gerry Bohemier has been a nutritional product developer and

successful health coach for numerous years. He is retired from

Chiropractic practice and is currently doing cross-country heart-health

seminars in Canada. His soon to be published book on effective ways in

reversing heart disease is expected out in the spring of 2008. Along

with his book, an accompanying video will give cardiac disease sufferers

a very effective alternative to common drug therapies which have been

continuously falling short of reducing the morbidity associated with

this disease. Dr. Gerry can be contacted at drgerryb