The goal of achieving optimalfatty acid nutrition must be approached by altering the fatty acid compositionof the day-to-day meal pattern. If the diet is high in saturated fats, more ofthe positions on the glycerol backbones will be taken up by saturated fats. Ifthe diet is high in omega-6 fats or hydrogenated fats, more of the positionswill be taken up by those fatty acids. If one can begin to increase theconsumption of known health-enhancing fats, then the triglyceride andphospholipid pool will convert. This will in turn exert beneficial effects onmembrane physiology and provide precursors for eicosanoids that exerthealth-enhancing rather than health-robbing effects.

OMEGA- 6 RECOMMENDATIONS

Various recommendations byresearch organizations have indicated certain minimum dietary levels foressential fatty acids. For example, for humans, the World Health Organizationsuggests that 3% of calories should consist of essential fatty acids for anadult and 5% for children. The essential fatty acids they specify are linoleicand linolenic acids. Specific recommendations made by United Statesgovernmental agencies suggest that linoleic acid should comprise approximately12% of calories. Some argue this should be increased to as much as 10% for optimalor therapeutic effects.

But this minimum recommendationfor linoleic acid is not only met by modem food sources, it is usually exceededto the extreme. For example, the average American would need only to consumeabout 45 milligrams of linoleic acid per kilogram of body weight per day, butthey are consuming over 300. The same disparity exists for animals on modernprocessed foods.

High dietary omega six fatty acidsare common but essential fatty acid deficiencies are paradoxically also common.This is due to a variety of factors. The increasing use of warm weather seeds,which now predominate in modern agriculture, provides the excess supply. The"fat tooth that modern cultures have is satisfied by large portions ofomega-6 oils in processed foods. The discovery of cholesterol inatherosclerotic plaques, leading to the conclusion that cholesterol should beexcluded from the diet, also led to increased consumption of vegetable(omega-6) fats.

Although exceeding the minimumsquantitatively is apparently easy, the quality of fatty acids is threatened bythe very nature of processing itself, which can readily degrade essential fattyacids into nonutilizable or even toxic forms. The primary goal should thereforebe to decrease omega-6 fatty acids in quantity and increase their quality whileat the same time increasing the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio in the diet.

OMEGA-3 RECOMMENDATIONS

Sources of omega-3 oils includefish, wild meat and animal products from animals on high omega-3 diets, as wellas certain seeds such as flaxseed, chia, rape, cold-weather nuts and soybeans.Other sources include mosses, ferns, alfalfa, the bark of certain trees, andphytoplankton which have the metabolic machinery (desaturase and elongaseenzymes) within chloroplasts to convert omega-6's to omega-3's. But normallythese sources are not consumed to any degree by non-wild higher mammals. Wildanimals have not only less fat, but a higher omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acidratio in tissues.1 (Fig. 30)

The recommendation for linolenicacid (plant source omega-3) to prevent deficiency is .54% of calories.2 Otherssuggest a level ranging from 0.8% to 1.2%.3 More important than absoluteamounts of linolenic acid would be the ratio corresponding to linoleic acid andperhaps other fatty acids. Clinical effectiveness, as can be predicted from asynergonic view, has been related to balance rather than dose.4,5 The idealratio can be deduced from the respective levels of these oils in many commonnatural foods and also the ratio which exists in mother's milk. This ratioseems to be approximately 5: 1, with linoleic acid comprising the greaterproportion. (Fig. 33)

Unfortunately some Americanmothers have ratios exceeding 30: 1.6,7 A minimum of 11/2 grams per day oflinolenic acid for humans has been suggested for maintenance and over 100 gramsper day have been utilized in therapy.8

Omega-3 fish oils consumedspecifically to treat or prevent cardiovascular disease should make up 2% ofdaily calorie consumption according to some researchers. This would amount toapproximately five grams per day. As much as 10-20 grams or even more per dayhas also been suggested.9 Some, however, report that relatively small doses cancreate a beneficial effect.10 Others report an unfavorable shift in LDL-C andLDL-apoprotein B concentrations in low doses compared to the higher ones.11Such confusion and contradiction abounds when attempting to design diet basedon doses of isolated nutrients... benefits are possible but so are dangers.

OMEGA-3 DANGERS

There are a variety of dangersassociated with the consumption of high levels of fish oils. Increased bleedingtime may create risks for cerebral vascular accident and epistaxis (nosebleed).12,13 Fish oils have recently been shown to increase LDL levels and thuspotentially predispose to cardiovascular disease rather than prevent it.14Depletion of body reserves of vitamin E used to stabilize these highly reactiveoil molecules (potential steatitis, yellow fat disease, may result but isprevented with vitamin E supplementation -- the dose required being up to sixtimes normal levels), free radical and peroxide generation from the spontaneousdegradation of these oils, and over-consumption of heavy metals (mercury etc.)and chlorinated hydrocarbons or toxins which may concentrate in fishoils.15,16Since fish are higher on the food chain than plant sources ofomega-3, the risk of toxin concentration is of course greater. Althoughlinolenic acid is believed to be approximately 1/5 as effective in sometherapies as EPA derived directly from fish oil (since it must go throughenzymatic steps to convert to EPA), many would argue that this is the preferredsource of omega-3 fatty acids since this dietary source could simply permit thebody to regulate its own requirement for EPA. 17,18

OMEGA-9 RECOMMENDATIONS

Omega-9 oils derived from oliveand other sources are not considered an essential dietary fatty acid. However,an impressive body of evidence indicates their health and nutritional benefits.Doses of as high as 10% of dietary fats, or 1 ounce of olive oil per day is onerecommendation based upon research on the effect of omega-9 fatty acids onvarious health parameters.19-21

PHOSPHOLIPID RECOMMENDATIONS

Phospholipids are a predominantpart of all cellular and organelle membranes and thus are an extremelyimportant biochemical comp onent. They are particularly rich in brain tissue,sphingosines, and in sphingomyelin. The choline fraction of phosphotidl cholineis a component of the neuronal transmitter acetylcholine. There is no dietaryrequirement for phospholipids since the body is capable of manufacturing them.However, there is a considerable body of medical literature indicating thebeneficial effects of supplementing lecithin, phosphotidl choline, to the diet.A dosage of choline ranging from three to twelve grams per day has been usedfor such conditions as tardive dyskinesia, pre-senile dementia, Alzheimer'sdisease, manic depression, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and a wide range ofother neurological and locomotor as well as autonomic dysfunctions in humansand animals. 22-28

SATURATED FAT RECOMMENDATIONS

There is no recognized dietaryrequirement for saturated fat. However, it is and always has been a part ofdietary makeup. Although saturated fats have received considerable "badpress," recent studies have shown stearic acid (18:0) to actually decreaseblood cholesterol levels.29,30 (A method of determining the level of saturationof fats is to place oil in the refrigerator. Saturated fats will become hard, amixture of saturates and unsaturates will become cloudy, whereas a pureunsaturate will remain liquid.)

Saturated fat intake, as withcholesterol intake, may be more of a concern because of its relationship toparticular dietary patterns. The modern, highly processed, high fat dietsinvariably have high saturated fats and high cholesterol levels and arepositively associated with various degenerative diseases. Evidence supports therelationship between low saturated fats in the diet and decreased serumcholesterol levels. Additionally, the ratio of saturated fats to unsaturatedfats is an important criterion for measuring risks. Maintaining an unsaturatedfat to saturated fat ratio of 3 to 1 or greater and keeping total fats to lessthan 30% of dietary calories are widely accepted as guidelines for decreasingcardiovascular risk.31

GUIDELINES

The above discussion is not meantas a recommendation to carefully measure oils in the diet on a gram scale or toseek a potpourri of capsules. The inference from the data is the value ofnatural whole, fresh foods. If these are carefully selected, the quantities andratios have already been taken care of by the best chemist of all, nature.

Certain practical rules of thumbwill help alter the essential fatty acid content of the diet to enhance health:

1) Consume increasing amounts offresh, whole organically grown fruits and vegetables, seeds and nuts;

2) If cooking is done, cookwithout oils or cook with olive oil, high omega-9 commercial products, lard orbutter (since these saturated fats are the most heat stable against oxidation);

3) Minimize cooking temperaturesand try to eliminate cooking as much as possible;

4) Incorporate natural raw foodsinto the diet known to contain high levels of omega-3 and -9 oils;

5) Increase the ratio of omega-3fatty acids to omega-6's;

6) If wishing to derive omega-3fatty acids from fish, poach or broil fish known to contain high levels ofomega-3 fatty acids (Fig. 33);

7) If fatty acid oil supplementsare used, they should contain balances of the oils as described above and beproperly stabilized with antioxidants (natural, if possible), packaged in lightimpervious safe containers (some plastic components will leach into oils) andnitrogen flushed. Supplemental vitamin E (200-400 I.U. per day) should also beconsumed when any isolated fats and oils are added to the diet.

COMMERCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES ANDOPPORTUNITIES

From a commercial standpoint, thisnew knowledge creates excellent opportunities to improve food nutritional valueas Dr. Kinsella of Cornell's Institute of Food Science points out:

"The food industry (bothproducers and processors) should explore methods for adjusting the amounts andratios of PUFA's in food products. Successfully increasing the w-3 PUFA contentof foods will require innovative approaches for controlling autooxidation andoff-flavor development in such foods. The discovery of multiple and potenteffects of eicosanoids and the apparent beneficial effects of w-3 PUFA's hasinvigorated biochemical lipid research and has presented opportunities formaking significant progress in the amelioration of atherosclerosis, perturbedimmune functions. Cancer, arthritis, and thrombosis, the major causes of deathand debility in the U.S. Knowledge of the links between dietary fatty acids andthe incidence and severity of these degenerative diseases will provide furtherrationale for modifying the lipid prof1les of existing food products anddeveloping new food products to improve nutrition and the quality of life ofthis and future generations."32

Whether industry will responsiblyact on this information remains to be seen. Since considerable pressure existswithin the modern corporate environment to prioritize the bottom line, ratherthan simply "do good," change will not likely occur until consumerdemand creates a commerciable opportunity. An informed consumer using the powerof the dollar will therefore likely be the ultimate reason our food supplychanges for the better.

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

http://www.wysong.net/articles/lipid/11_article_lipid_chapter_eleven_dietary_approach.shtml

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Article Tags: diet | disease | acid | lipid | fatty | food | ester | natural | animal | position | effect | vascular | acids | cardiovascular | studies | essential | myocardial infarction | fish oils |
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.