Good Fats-Bad Fats and the Best Fat
Essential fatty acids (EFA's) are in that good fat group. Fried fats, partially hydrogenated oils, or artificial trans fats are no longer "generally recognized as safe," or GRAS by the FDA. Saturated fats should be eaten in limited quantities.
The two EFA's: alpha-linolenic acid (best known as omega-3 fatty acids) and linoleic acid (best known as omega-6 fatty acids) are the most talked about. Both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are important for good health. We have a tendency to get too many 6s compared to 3s.
The literature has demonstrated omega-3 fatty acids to reduce inflammation, lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, promote bone health and improve the symptoms of arthritis. The research also suggests omega-3s may also be beneficial for many other conditions that have inflammation as part of their causation, such as ADHD, Alzheimer's disease, inflammatory bowel disease and depression.
Omega-6 and-3 fatty acids help keep a proper cholesterol level and support skin health. Omega-6 balance is important to allow our blood to clot. The other side of the coin is when the omega-6s are not balanced with enough omega-3s, the blood clots too easily and lead to heart attack or stroke.
The ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is thought to be 1:4 (1 part omega-6s to 4 parts omega-3s). The American diet is backwards and is more like 20:1 favoring omeg-6.
The omega-3 fatty acids are necessary for health and that is why they are called essential fatty acids. The body cannot manufacture them and must get them in diet and supplementation. The commonly recognized food sources are walnuts, flaxseed, soybeans and cold-water fish such as salmon, tuna and halibut.
Fish is so contaminated with industrial pollutants and toxins like PCBs, mercury and other heavy metals, we cannot safely consume a lot of fish. Therefore supplementation is necessary. Fish oil or flaxseed oil supplements are good sources but Krill is considered by many to be the very best source of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. It has certainly become my favorite by far.
Krill are tiny shrimp-like crustaceans that are very nutrient dense. They are one of the most abundant sources of seafood omega-3s. The omega-3s in krill oil are in phospholipid form, while the omega-3s in fish oil are in triglyceride form. As phospholipids, krill omega-3s can be absorbed into the bloodstream without the need to be first broken down by the digestive process, making them more bioavailable for cell functioning and growth. This is incredibly important for most people.
My very favorite is LipiChol from XYMOGEN. This Krill Oil contains much higher levels of the naturally occurring antioxidant astaxanthin than fish oil. Antioxidants protect our body cells from damage due to free radicals. Astaxanthin also crosses the blood-brain barrier and is thought to help protect the eyes, brain and central nervous system from free radical damage.
The krill used in LipiChol are pure and free of toxins because they are only harvested in the pristine waters and with solvent free techniques. Fish oil supplements are only as pure as the fish they came from. If the fish were harvested from polluted waters, the fish oils will likely contain the same toxins.
Krill oil is more stable and resistant to rancidity than most fish oils. Omega-3 fatty acids in the form of phospholipids are far less prone to oxidation than omega-3s in triglyceride form. The antioxidant astaxanthin provides added protection to the omega-3s, prolonging their shelf life.
Since 1980, more than 60,000 studies have been conducted examining the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. I have followed the literature and tried to take adequate fish oils. I had trouble with the aftertaste and had a hard time taking enough to accomplish my goals in omega fatty acid intake. I have had great success with the krill supplementation of LipiChol.
Cholesterol is a very misunderstood substance. It is more dangerous to be too low. I had a hard time keeping my cholesterol above 150 until I started taking krill oil. Krill acts as a modular, or lowers cholesterol in those that have it too high and helps bring it up to adequate levels when too low. Many studies have verified krill has much greater cholesterol lowering effects than fish oil when the patient truly does have too high of levels.
Krill and fish oil have helped to normalize blood pressure as well. Krill has shown to be the most effective. Krill also helps to elevate HDL to more protective levels.
Inflammation is a root of many conditions. In 2007 a study used krill oil on 90 patients with inflammatory conditions. Patients demonstrated improvement in cardiovascular disease, active rheumatoid arthritis and/or osteoarthritis. In the study, the patients had to stop taking anti-inflammatory drugs one week before the study started.
Other studies suggest that omega-3s may enhance calcium absorption, reduce excretion and increase calcium deposition in bone. In a three-year study of elderly women with osteoporosis, those who took EPA (omega-3) and GLA (omega-6) supplements had less bone loss than those who took a placebo. Many of the women also had an increase in bone density.
Omega-3 phospholipids also play an important role in the health and function of brain cell membranes and cell signaling. The omega-3 fatty acid DHA is the most common fatty acid found in the brain and is thought to be valuable in maintaining memory and cognitive functioning.
In doing many comprehensive blood studies in our patient evaluations, we find the need to add LipiChol krill oil to most of those tested and with great improvement. We also test for MaX DeFlam and for immune support using MaX Immune and/or MaX VRL etc.
Yours in Health and Wellness,
John W. Brimhall, BA, BS, DC, FIAMA, DIBAK