| Alteration of the fatty acid content of the diet has | | | | As the omega-3 and omega-9 fatty acids increase in |
| much potential beyond just cardiovascular and | | | | the diet, the phospholipids in cellular membranes have |
| inflammatory effects. The scientific literature is | | | | the saturated fats replaced with unsaturated fats |
| unveiling new diseases that may be altered, cured, or | | | | which increases the fluidity of these membranes, |
| prevented with fatty acid therapy. The list includes | | | | thus restoring their more healthfu1liquid crystal state. |
| arthritis, cancer, lupus and other autoimmunities, | | | | If you will recall, the more saturated the fat, the |
| headaches, hypertension, endotoxemia, muscular | | | | more stiff it is, and the more solid it is at room |
| sclerosis, psoriasis, diabetes, gallstones, and more.1, 2 | | | | temperature. The less saturated, the more fluid it is |
| Increasing the more fluid and dynamic omega-3 levels | | | | at room temperature. Omega 3 fatty acids likely |
| in the body and decreasing the more stiff and static | | | | exert an added beneficial effect for organisms living |
| saturated fats has many biological implications. Lipids | | | | in Northern climates where low temperatures would |
| are ubiquitous in membranes and make up cell and | | | | tend to congeal tissues if tissues were composed of |
| tissue level regulatory compounds. Altering lipid intake | | | | high levels of saturated fats. |
| therefore creates a fundamental alteration in the | | | | BLEEDING TIME |
| dynamics of many, if not all living processes. Although | | | | Some clinicians suggest that bleeding time is a good |
| more natural lipid nutrition is now known to influence | | | | general indicator of proper fatty acid nutrition. A |
| blood cholesterol and triglycerides, influence platelet | | | | reasonable goal is a bleeding time of 5 to 8 minutes. |
| aggregation, decrease platelet count, increase | | | | Some Eskimos have bleeding times of up to 15 |
| bleeding time, decrease blood viscosity, increase RBC | | | | minutes and many Westerners have bleeding times |
| deformability, decrease blood pressure, decrease | | | | under 3 minutes.8-11 An unusually high bleeding time |
| intimal hyperplasia, and decrease autoimmune | | | | can increase the risk of cerebrovascular hemorrhage |
| manifestations, this list is far from complete.3-5 (Fig. | | | | (stroke), whereas a very low bleeding time increases |
| 29) | | | | the risk of clotting, atherosclerosis and claudication. |
| Lipid malnutrition or deficiency has until recently been | | | | Eskimos and individuals consuming excess amounts of |
| blurred by nutritional abundance. The more acute | | | | omega-3's are thus at risk, as are modem urbanites |
| protein and vitamin deficiencies have essentially | | | | consuming high levels of arachidonic acid and oxidized |
| disappeared in all but "developing" countries. (Actually, | | | | fats, although to different diseases. |
| truly underdeveloped countries often have excellent | | | | There is likely an optimal level of the various fatty |
| nutritional status if natural foods are in adequate | | | | acids depending upon each individual's environment |
| supply. "Underdeveloped" here means modernized but | | | | and unique biochemistry. Determining that level on an |
| undersupplied.) In the place of acute deficiency we | | | | individual basis would require elaborate testing and |
| now have chronic degenerative disease from more | | | | even then the results would be equivocal. The |
| subtle imbalances and toxicities which will increasingly | | | | application of nutritional average requirements to |
| be linked to fatty acid malnutrition. These are | | | | individuals is faulty since there is no way of knowing |
| nutritional diseases resulting in problems often far | | | | where an individual lies under a curve in a statistical |
| removed in time from the cause, thus it is more | | | | distribution. |
| difficult to determine cause-effect relationships. 6 | | | | Thus allowing the body to select its own optimal |
| [ Potential Benefits Of Omega 3 Balance Image ] | | | | levels by supplying it with whole fresh varied natural |
| TISSUE OXYGENATION | | | | foods seems wisest. This is not to say prudent |
| The ability of phosphatides and the highly | | | | supplementation with fresh, properly protected oils |
| unsaturated fatty acids to hold oxygen can affect | | | | may not be helpful under certain circumstances. In |
| aerobic efficiency as well as increase tissue oxygen | | | | certain diseases and when attempting to more rapidly |
| tension resulting in a less favorable environment for | | | | convert the lipid pool in the body to a more healthy |
| pathogenic growth.7 Resistance to disease, athletic | | | | profile after a lifetime of abuse, short-term isolated |
| capabilities, endurance, metabolic efficiency, energy | | | | oil supplements may be helpful. |
| conversion, recovery from injury, sensory | | | | But one lesson to be learned from understanding the |
| improvement, appearance, sleep-wake cycles, | | | | broad health benefits possible from lipids is the |
| behavior, and all vital life processes can also possibly | | | | complexity and interrelatedness of their functions. |
| be beneficially affected by restoring natural balances | | | | Food, which is also life, is of equal complexity. The |
| to lipid nutrition and thus improving oxygen | | | | modern tendency to address medical and nutritional |
| metabolism. (It should be mentioned in this regard | | | | problems with isolated chemicals seems to contradict |
| that the ability of lipids to hold relatively high levels of | | | | the basic character of life as well as food. The |
| oxygen has negative implications for the obese. | | | | complexity of what we know and the vast |
| Increased oxygen in fat reserves can result in lipid | | | | unknowns still remaining in lipid nutriture are likely best |
| oxidation and thus free radical formation, which can | | | | served by the like complexity and unknowns of |
| then increase various tissue pathologies.) | | | | fresh, whole, natural foods. |
| TISSUE Fluidity | | | | |