Fatty acids exist in the bodyprimarily as triglycerides and phospholipids. Phospholipids make up the bilipidmembrane of cells and the membranes of organelles within the cytoplasm. Fattyacids are split from the triglyceride glycerol backbone and broken down intocarbon fragments which are then oxidized to provide energy. Usually, just the16 carbon fatty acids or shorter are metabolized in this fashion.

[ Fatty Acid Break Down Image ]

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Fatty acids 16 carbons and longerfrom the omega-3 and -6 families can undergo the formation of double bonds andchain lengthening to create compounds called eicosanoids. These substances areautacoids, evanescent compounds which exert their effects locally in themicroenvironment of the tissues where they are generated.1 Eicosanoids arecyclic oxygenated derivatives of fatty acids consisting of prostaglandins, leukotrienes,thromboxanes, prostacyclines, and lipoxins which are the moderators of lifeprocesses at the microcellular and tissue level (Fig. 14). They areintermediate between biochemicals and hormones. Their presence in extremelysmall nano and pico molar amounts exerts effects which are more powerful bymany fold than various potent organ level hormones.

[ Functions Of Eicosanoids Image ]

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Eicosanoids are regulatory,turning various life processes on and off. For example, eicosanoids canstimulate the clotting mechanism when blood vessels are injured, but they canalso stop the clotting mechanism so it does not proceed to the point wherecirculation other than at the local site of injury is impaired.

Eicosanoids must exist in precisebalances for life to continue without the presence of disease. Since thevarious eicosanoids are produced from dietary fatty acids, modifying the dietcan shift eicosanoid balances. Overconsumption of one kind of fatty acid mayoverproduce one kind of eicosanoid. Its effect will then become predominant andnot be properly balanced by its antagonistic eicosanoid and thus disease mayresult. For example, the overconsumption of omega-6 fatty acids can createeicosanoids which promote inflammation. If these fatty acids are consumed inexcess at the expense of a balancing amount of omega-3 fatty acids,inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and allergicconditions may result. Balance is the essence of life.

The various metabolic pathwaysleading to the production of eicosanoids are complex. The pathways begin withthe types of fatty acids in the diet. These in turn are converted by enzymesystems into progressively longer and more unsaturated fatty acids until theyreach their eicosanoid destination. Figures 15 and 16 outline these syntheticpathways.

Desaturase and elongase enzymesresponsible for these conversions vary in functionality from species tospecies, within the same species, and even within the same individual underdiffering circumstances. Additionally, it is believed, these enzyme systems canbe affected adversely by various toxins and disease states. Thus not only diet,but environmental and genetic factors can influence eicosanoid balances.

In animal species, sufficientenzyme systems do not exist to permit formation of unsaturated bonds in theomega-3 and the omega-6 positions. Therefore, as discussed previously,

[ Fatty Acid Modification Image ]

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[ Eicosanoid Pathways Image ]

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omega-3 and -6 fatty acids areessential dietary constituents. Plant chloroplasts, on the other hand, have theenzyme systems necessary to form these omega-3 and -6 fatty acids and thusplant food sources become the ultimate source of these essential fatty acidsfor animals. This means even if an animal is a carnivore, it is consuming preywhich in turn has consumed plant material containing these essential fattyacids. Such is the case for fish which concentrate high levels of omega-3coming up to them through the food chain from phytoplankton.

A natural diet consisting offresh, raw foods provides an entirely different spectrum of fatty acids thandoes the modern fare of fractionated, processed, stored, and otherwise alteredfoods. In a natural diet a wide range of fatty acids will be supplied in theirbiologically protected and active form. Fatty acids of the omega-3, -6 and -9families will all be present in the ratios in which life was originally adaptedto utilize them. Under these circumstances, eicosanoids are more likely to beproperly in balance.

In the modem diet, however, it ispossible to receive virtually no omega-3 fatty acids, extremely high levels ofsaturated fatty acids, oxidized cholesterol, trans-fatty acids and otherisomers, and large proportions of omega-6 fatty acids as well as variousoxidized forms of these fatty acids which result inevitably from processing.Such conditions imbalance eicosanoids by providing improper starting materialsfor eicosanoid synthesis and by introducing toxic elements which interfere withenzymatic pathways.

Proper nutrition should thereforebe directed toward restoring the natural, unaltered diet and the elimination,as much as possible, of foods comprised of lipids in inappropriate ratios andaltered from their natural forms.

References available within booktext, click the following link to view this article on wysong.net:

http://www.wysong.net/articles/lipid/05_article_lipid_chapter_five_fatty_acid_pathways.shtml

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Article Tags: acid | fatty | acids | eicosanoid | omega | eicosanoids | lipid | diet | food | balance | pathways | lipids | enzyme | disease | life | species | membrane |
About the Author Dr. Wysong: A former veterinary clinician and surgeon, college instructor in human anatomy, physiology and the origin of life, inventor of numerous medical, surgical, nutritional, athletic and fitness products and devices, research director for the present company by his name and founder of the philanthropic Wysong Institute. http://www.wysong.net. Also check out http://www.cerealwysong.com.