LIPIDS (FATS & OILS)
by Dr. William Rice DC, DACBN, CCN, FACCN

In our wholistic, moderate approach to diet, the most important part of the diet to consider is the fat. Years ago we stressed sugars, chemical additives and junk food. But the truth is that none of these are really as detrimental to your health as excess fats in your diet. There are good reasons that fats should be avoided.

First of all, fats contribute more calories to your diet than either protein or carbohydrates. Each gram (1/28 oz.) of fat yields nine calories compared to four calories from protein or carbohydrates. That’s twice as many calories from fats than any other food source. That means that excess fat in your diet will, at best, prevent you from losing weight, and at worst, add many extra pounds.

Almost 70% of all deaths in our society involve diseases of fatty degeneration. Researchers have implicated excess dietary lipids in conditions such as heart disease, obesity, autoimmune disorders, inflammatory diseases, bowel cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer. That is certainly enough reason to begin avoiding fats in your diet. Fats are a general health hazard.

It is easy to understand this; it is quite another thing to make it practical. One important characteristic of lipids is that they impart a great deal of taste to food--fatty foods taste better. Premium ice creams, aged marbled beef, fried foods, cheese, butter, oil, great cookies and other desserts all have one thing in common--high fat content. Eating out is more difficult because most restaurant foods are high in fat. Most animal foods are high in fat, and the average American eats too much meat.

Foods prepared with less fat can be tasty, but more care is needed to make them so. You will need to learn to cook with natural herbs and spices to flavor your foods. You will appreciate your food very quickly.

Lipids represent a group of biological components that are defined according to their solubility rather than their chemical structure. Lipids are the least soluble in water. Triglycerides, phospholipids, cholesterol, fatty acids and prostaglandin’s are lipids.

Dietary fats are generally found in the form of triglycerides, which are, biochemically, a combination of three fatty acids and a single molecule of glycerol to hold them together. Lipids are vital structural and functional materials. Some dietary fats are either metabolized for energy or transformed into stored energy, as reserve fat. More significantly, our bodies convert lipids into essential tissue building blocks and hormone-like regulating substances called prostaglandin’s (PG’s). Lipids also play a role in the absorption and transportation of the fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E and K.

SATURATED FATS

Dietary lipids contain fatty acids contain fatty acids that may be saturated or unsaturated in structure and this determines their physical and chemical properties. The saturated fats (SFA’s) are the simplest fatty acids; "saturated" with hydrogen atoms and have no "doublebonds." (Don’t worry that this biochemical lingo doesn’t mean anything.) SFA’s carry no electric charges and they are slow to react with other chemicals. There are two groups of SFA’s: short chain fatty acids (up to ten carbon atoms in length) and long chain fatty acids (more than ten carbon atoms). The short chain SFA’s are liquid at body temperature, they are partially soluble in water, they are easy to digest and readily available for the production of energy in your body. On the other hand, the long chain SFA’s have higher melting points, remain solid at room temperature and are insoluble in water. Most importantly, however, they tend to stick together to form clumps or plaque.

This tendency to clumping represents one of the major nutritional problems for those people who eat a high percentage of long chain fatty acids. Typically, beef, pork, lamb, eggs and dairy products contain these SFA’s. Are these a major part of your diet? The plaque may deposit within cells, organs, arteries or arterioles. The result can be a sharp increase in both cardiovascular disease and other diseases of fatty degeneration. Unfortunately your body converts excess refined carbohydrates (sugars and starches) into the same harmful SFA’s.

There are those who argue that the source of SFA’s is not the whole problem. Perhaps it is the way agribusiness raises, processes and "sterilizes" these foods that is the real culprit. Unpasteurized dairy products are not readily available in our area, but naturally raised and free-range chicken and beef are available.

Learn to eat lower on the food chain and limit animal products to follow a clearly healthier path.

UNSATURATED FATS

The unsaturated fatty acids (UFS’s) differ from the saturated fatty acid by containing one or more double bonds (more biochemistry) between carbon atoms. UFS’s have a slightly negative electrical charge and they tend to aggregate much less readily than SFA’s. They have very low melting points, so they tend to be liquid a room temperature (except for coconut and palm oils).

Unsaturated fatty acids with only one double bond are referred to as monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA’s) and those with more than one double bond are referred to as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFFA’s).

Oleic acid, found in olive, almond and other seed oils, is the most important MUFA. Oleic acid is liquid, stimulates the flow of bile from the gallbladder and is the major fatty acid found in the secretions of the skin follicle glands. Several recent studies indicate that olive oil may have a protective effect on coronary heart disease. Remember that moderation is the key and too much oleic acid interferes with the essential fatty acids and their functions.

The polyunsaturated fatty acids include two of the essential fatty acids (EFA’s): linoleic and linolenic acid, and prostaglandin precursors: gamma-linoleic acid (GLA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Essential fatty acids are those that your body cannot produce and must get them from food sources daily. The best dietary sources of EFA’s are fresh seeds (like flaxseeds), fresh nuts, legumes, sprouted grains, green leafy vegetables and fresh coldwater fish.

Essential fatty acids enhance oxygen use and serve as important cellular structural elements. They facilitate the production of prostaglandins, which regulate our body’s defense and repair systems. They also facilitate the production of all other fatty acids our body requires. EFA’s provide the raw materials for many important substances. From linoleic acid (LA) the body can manufacture gamma linolenic acid (GLA), arachidonic acid (AA) and docosopentaenoic acid (DPA). From linolenic acid (LNA) the body can make eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

The following symptoms are associated with linoleic acid deficiency: fatigue, dry skin and scalp, eczema-like eruptions, excessive hair loss, liver degeneration, behavioral disturbances, premenstrual syndromes, kidney degeneration excessive thirst, dehydration, susceptibility to infections, arthritis, heart and circulatory problems and retarded growth. All of these are reversal by adding sufficient LA or GLA back to the diet.

The symptoms of linolenic acid include: retarded growth, generalized weakness, vision impairment, suppressed leaning ability, motor in-coordination, cardiovascular disease, tingling in limbs, hyperimmune responses and behavioral changes. These, too, can be reversed by adding LNA, EPA or DHA to the diet.

Adding ground flaxseeds to your diet every day is an easy, tasty way of ensuring the intake of adequate essential fatty acids.

Over the last century there has been a marked increase in the consumption of sugar, fat and altered fats. All three show strong correlation’s with disease.

Hydrogenation is the process of adding hydrogen gas to a lipid, in the presence of a metal catalyst--usually nickel--under extreme heat and pressure. This process transforms a liquid, unsaturated oil into a more solid, more saturated fat. This is done for purely economic gains--not nutritional. Hydrogenation helps increase shelf life because the more saturated fats do not turn rancid as quickly,

The problem is that hydrogenation produces a new type of fat not found in nature. The saturation process converts the natural "cis-" forms of fatty acids to an altered "trans-" form. Current research indicates that these trans-fatty acids have potentially carcinogenic effects. They also raise cholesterol as much as saturated fats that leads to cardiovascular disease. Cholesterol-free altered vegetable fats increase blood cholesterol by 15% and triglyceride levels by 47%. For years margarine companies have been touting their products as a safe, cholesterol-free alternative to butter. And for years we have been saying it’s better to use a small dab of real butter. Finally, after all these years the researchers are agreeing with us. Holland banned trans-fatty acids altogether. Whereas, in the U.S. many products contain between 10 and 60 percent trans-fatty acids. No wonder there is such a high incidence of coronary heart disease in this country.

High temperatures used in cooking and food processing creates another toxic health hazard. Trans-fatty acids are one well-known risk. Heat-altered fats and oils become a significant source of lipid peroxides. Lipid peroxides create more free radicals and have been implicated in atherosclerosis and a wide variety of degenerative conditions.

All of these changes mean one important thing for you--premature aging and degeneration. Avoiding these toxic substances is not the fountain of youth, but will help slow the aging process.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Avoid heat modified, hydrogenated, unnatural polyunsaturated oils.
• Use pressed olive and flaxseed oil.
• Learn to read labels carefully so you know what you’re buying.
• Protect yourself from rancid oils by protecting oils from light.
• Refrigerate your oils to prevent rancidity.
• Avoid margarine and all foods that contain any hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated fats.
• Take antioxidants to protect your body from free radical tissue damage. Antioxidants include vitamins C & E, beta-carotene, selenium, zinc and bioflavonoids, to name just a few.