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