Dr. Udo Erasmus on Thyroid Disease, Weight Loss, and the Optimal Diet

[Guest guest]

Fats That Heal: Fats That Kill

Dr. Udo Erasmus on Thyroid Disease, Weight Loss, and the Optimal Diet

for Thyroid Patients May 2002 ...

Based on an interview by Mary Shomon

(www.thyroid-info.com)

 

 

I had an opportunity to interview nutritional expert Dr. Udo Erasmus,

regarding the role of essential fatty acids in thyroid and metabolic

health. By way of introduction, Udo Erasmus received his BS degree in

Honors Zoology with a major in Psychology, followed by two years of

graduate studies in Biochemistry and Genetics from the University of

British Columbia.

 

Dr. Erasmus' direction changed when he was poisoned while working with

pesticides, and when conventional approaches didn't work, sought to find

solutions in nutrition. Dr. Erasmus concentrated his research on the

effects of fats and oils on human health, and became an expert in this

area, leading to his best-seller Fats and Oils. This book also became

his thesis and earned him a Ph.D. in nutrition in 1986. The book is now

available in expanded, revised, updated form as Fats That Heal Fats That

Kill, which is in its 10th printing, with over 150,000 copies sold.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Erasmus has pioneered the technology and formulation for pressing

and packaging fresh oils, ensuring that they remain nutritious, and

believed so much in the power of essential fatty acids that he worked

for years to create the famous " Udo's Oil, " a balanced essential fatty

acid oil that is recommended by nutritionists and holistic practitioners

around the world. More than 15 years of exploring the practical aspects

of fats has earned Dr. Erasmus authoritative status in the field, as

well as the nicknames " The Fatman " and " His Royal Oiliness! "

 

To understand Dr. Erasmus' life work -- the study of essential fatty

acids -- it's important to start with the basic premise -- what is an

essential fatty acid? There are a variety of different types of fats,

the only two that are considered " essential, " are Omega 3 fats, and

Omega 6 fats.

 

These fats must be consumed directly from food sources.

 

Omega 3 fatty acids come from foods like flaxseeds, green leafy

vegetables, and high fat, cold water fish such as albacore tuna,

sardines, alaskan salmon, coho, Pacific and Atlantic herring, Atlantic

mackerel, and lake trout.

 

Omega 6 fatty acids are found in sesame and sunflower seeds and other

seeds and nuts. Some fish and organic animal meats also provide a

derivative form of Omega 6. When it comes to fish, Dr. Erasmus always

prefers the fish themselves rather than the supplements.

 

According to Dr. Erasmus, since 1900, Omega 6 consumption has increased

by about 20 times the previous levels, primarily because of increased

use of certain refined vegetable oils in food preparation, while Omega

3s are now only 1/6 of previous levels.

 

This means that we get too much Omega 6 and too little Omega 3 fatty

acids.

 

It's important to bring in the good fats and to avoid the bad fats.

Low-fat and no-fat take us in the wrong direction.

We need a right-fat approach.

 

 

Ultimately, imbalances and deficiencies in essential fatty acids are,

according to Dr. Erasmus, the cause, a trigger, or a contributing factor

to many diseases and conditions, and addressing those deficiencies

through proper foods, or use of healthy oils, can have huge implications

for health.

 

According to Dr. Erasmus, some benefits of proper essential fatty acid

intake and balance include:

 

Increased energy, performance, and stamina

 

Reduced risk factors for cardiovascular disease, especially

high blood pressure, triglycerides

 

Improved brain function, including mood, intelligence, behavior, and

vision

 

Reduced depression

 

Improvement in glandular and organ function, including liver, kidneys,

adrenal and thyroid

 

Faster recovery and healing

 

Healthier babies and pregnant women

 

Improved digestion

 

Decreased infection

 

Better skin, hair, and nails

 

 

There are other, more specific benefits that are pertinent for thyroid

sufferers.

Thyroid Hormone Receptors

 

According to Dr. Erasmus, essential fatty acids are critical to thyroid

function because, first, they are required for the integrity of the

structure for every membrane of every cell.

Second, they increase energy levels in the cell.

And third, there is some evidence that essential fatty acids,

especially Omega 3s, improve the efficiency of the " hormones " on the

receptor sites.

 

To understand the importance of the receptor issue, think about the

situation of diabetes.

 

Pre-diabetes, the condition that is considered a marker for future

diabetes, is also known as insulin resistance.

 

Insulin is in the body, but it isn't being utilized because saturated

fats block insulin receptor function,

and ultimately receptors become desensitized --

and ultimately immune to and unable to receive -- insulin.

 

Essential fatty acids are required for receptor function and can make

diabetics more insulin sensitive.

 

So diabetics taking essential fatty acids may need less receptors, and

ultimately, less insulin.

 

Dr. Erasmus believes that this same mechanism takes place with other

hormonal functions, such as the androgens, pineal glands, adrenal glands

--

and specifically, the thyroid.

 

There are practitioners who believe that thyroid hormone resistance is

not a rare occurrence, and is actually a more common sign of impending

thyroid disease, much like insulin resistance is a precursor to

diabetes.

 

This issue of receptors is critical, because according to Dr. Erasmus,

" With proper essential fatty acid nutrition, what will sometime happen

is that you get fewer receptors but they work better. "

 

This would mean that proper levels of essential fatty acids might make

the thyroid hormone receptors work better, so that thyroid hormone

actually accomplishes its mission.

 

Inflammation

 

Dr. Erasmus also points to the role that essential fatty acids play in

preventing and reducing inflammation. In particular, essential fatty

acids make hormone-like eicosanoids that regulate immune and

inflammatory responses,

and Omega 3s in particular have anti-inflammatory effects that can slow

" autoimmune " damage.

 

Inflammation of the thyroid -- known as goiter -- is central to many

cases of autoimmune thyroid disease, and inflammation is seen in almost

all autoimmune diseases in general.

 

Says Dr. Erasmus:

 

I believe that inflammation is at the core of nearly everything that

goes wrong in the body, including cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular

problems.

 

We know that Omega 3s decrease inflammation.

 

If proteins are the juice, fats are the insulators, not just of nerves,

but cells and membranes.)

 

Protein reactions lead to inflammation, allergies and autoimmune

disease.

 

Essential fatty acids seem to help to prevent the proteins from becoming

hyperactive -- and therefore triggering these various immune reactions

 

Weight Loss

 

When thyroid function goes down, the metabolic rate goes down, and the

body burns fewer carbohydrates.

Dr. Erasmus believes that people with hypothyroidism should switch from

starches to green vegetables as their primary source of carbohydrates.

 

Green vegetables, plus good fats, should form the core of the diet.

 

Sufficient essential fatty acids help increase energy and suppress

appetite, thereby aiding in weight loss.

 

In addition, they have been found to block the genes that produce fat in

the body (saturated and trans fat do not have this same effect)

and increase " thermogenesis " -- the burning of fat.

 

Dr. Erasmus actually feels that Omega 3s work better than the heralded

conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). He feels that CLA may have some negative

side effects, particularly at higher doses.

 

The Optimal Thyroid Diet

According to Dr. Erasmus, for a thyroid patient to lose weight, they

need:

 

 

Green vegetables (While he says the efforts at 5 fruits and vegetables a

day or 9 a day are a step in the right direction, the reality is that we

should strive for more like 1 fruit, and 8 or 9 vegetables each day.)

 

Good fats

 

Protein

 

Proper digestion

 

Limited carbohydrates. ( " If you gain weight, you're not burning enough

carbs, " says Dr. Erasmus.

How much should you limit them? " Until your weight is normal! " )

 

Exercise

In addition to supplementing with essential fatty acids, he also

recommends proper balance of zinc, vitamin C, and digestive enzymes.

 

 

Udo's Oil: How Much Do You Need?

Certainly, if we could also focus our diet on vegetables, fish, and good

fats from other foods, we'd be working toward redressing the

" imbalances " in essential fatty acids.

 

But when diet is less than optimal, or you can't get enough of the foods

that provide the right balance and quantity of Omega 3s and Omega 6s,

then an option is to consider a supplement, such as Dr. Erasmus' oil,

known as " Udo's Oil. "

 

Udo's Oil is an organic blend of oils, from fresh flax, sesame and

sunflower seeds, as well as oils from evening primrose, rice germ and

oat germ.

This is a product I personally use and recommend, and have seen a number

of people stabilize their thyroid function and lose weight after

switching over to Dr. Erasmus' dietary recommendations, plus use of his

oil.

 

Dr. Erasmus recommends a tablespoon of oil per 50 pounds of body weight

per day in winter. That would mean 4 tablespoons a day for a 200 pound

person in winter. The way you know you've taken enough oil is, according

to Dr. Erasmus, your skin is not dry, flaky or itchy -- common

complaints in the winter. Summer dosages can be dropped slightly, and

again, dryness of skin should be used as the evaluation.

 

For weight loss, Dr. Erasmus has said that working with obese people, he

has had them on as much as 5 tablespoons of oil a day.

 

For rheumatoid arthritis patients, he's had them on as much as 10

tablespoons a day.

 

At high levels of oil, calorie intake goes up, so to reduce overall

caloric intake, Dr. Erasmus recommends taking out carbohydrate calories

- particularly starches,refined carbs and fruit -- to make up for the

calories in the oil, and concentrate the diet on healthy protein, green

vegetables and the oil.

 

Is supplementation with essential fatty acids the answer for you? It may

be worth trying for a few weeks to start, to see if you start to feel

any of the short-term benefits, and notice a difference in your skin.

Just remember that to avoid weight gain, you should decrease the amount

of carbohydrates you are eating, in order to offset the oil's calories

and maintain an optimal amount of daily calories.

 

http://www.udoerasmus.com

_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes

 

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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