Essential Fatty Acids: Are You Deficient In These Key Nutrients?

Jade Beutler, R.R.T., R.C.P.

In this era of fat phobia and the resulting barrage of low-fat and non-fat food products lining the grocery store shelves, a recommendation to supplement an individual's daily diet with one or two tablespoons of flaxseed oil may be puzzling to many consumers. However, flaxseed oil is extremely rich in special fats designated as essential fatty acid's. "Essential" simply means that we must consume them in our diets and that our bodies cannot manufacture them from other dietary fats or nutrients. Research suggests that a lack of essential fatty acids, ordinarily found abundantly in flaxseed oil and other unrefined polyunsaturated vegetable oils, plays a significant role in the development of such chronic degenerative diseases as heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Many experts estimate that approximately 80 percent of the American population consumes an insufficient quantity of essential fatty acids. This dietary insufficiency presents a serious health threat to Americans. In addition to providing the body with energy, the essential fatty acids linoleic and linolenic acid  function in our bodies as components of nerve cells, cellular membranes, and hormone-like substances known as prostaglandins. Prostaglandins and the essential fatty acids play an important role in keeping the body in good working order.

As well as playing a critical role in normal physiology, essential fatty acids are shown to be therapeutic and protect against heart disease, cancer, auto immune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, many skin diseases, and others.

Causes of EFA Deficiency

The adulteration of polyunsaturated oils caused by mass commercial refinement of foods containing fats and oils has effectively eliminated the essential fatty acids from our food chain. In addition, there has been a tremendous increase in the amount of unnatural fats and oils added to the diet in the form of trans fatty acids and partially hydrogenated oils. Trans fatty acids result when polyunsaturated oils are subjected to excessive heat, light, oxygen, or other refining methods. The term trans literally means that the formerly C shaped (cis) polyunsaturated fatty acid is (trans)formed to an unnatural straight-shaped fatty acid molecule. Hydrogenation is caused when liquid polyunsaturated fatty acids are infused with hydrogen molecules causing an occupation of the formerly unsaturated bond with hydrogen. The result is a semisolid or solid fat substance not duplicated anywhere in nature. Margarine is the ultimate representation of a hydrogenated fat substance containing both hydrogenated and trans fatty acids.

Early in the twentieth century, Americans consumed about 125 grams of fat a day. Today, the consumption is closer to 175 grams, a 40 percent increase, or about 50 extra pounds a year. Proportionally our ingestion of saturated fats has remained relatively stable. Our ingestion of unrefined polyunsaturated oils rich in the disease preventing essential fatty acids has decreased dramatically. Conversely, our ingestion of refined, adulterated polyunsaturated oil products has risen sharply, correlating with the dramatic rise in many degenerative conditions including cancer, heart disease, and stroke. These refined and processed compounds actually inhibit the body's ability to use the essential fatty acids that are consumed. And because synthetic fats have been prevalent in the diet for only about a hundred years, our bodies have not yet had time to evolve to the point where they can handle these deadly compounds. There are three primary factors contributing to our current essential fatty acid deficiency.

1. Unavailability of quality oils rich in essential fatty acids because of mass commercialization and refinement of fats and oils.
2. Transformation of healthful omega-3 and omega-6 oils into toxic compounds (hydrogenated and trans isomers).
3. Metabolic competition between hydrogenated and trans fatty acids with the essential fatty acids.

Recognizing Essential Fatty Acid Deficiency

The signs and symptoms of essential fatty acid deficiency may be overt or chronically nagging, ranging from mild fatigue to a fatal heart attack. Most orthodox health care practitioners will never make the association between a health problem and essential fatty acid deficiency because they are not trained in nutrition, and the laboratory analysis to measure essential fatty acid deficiency is not widely available or appreciated. In addition, the symptoms of essential fatty acid deficiency are not as obvious as with many other nutrient deficiencies. The consequences of this lack of knowledge can be deadly. And even if an essential fatty acid deficiency were recognized, few orthodox clinicians would know how to treat it. The symptoms of essential fatty acid deficiency can be so vague and broad that they are usually written off as having some other cause. Surveys suggest that most Americans are obtaining only about 10 per cent of what they need for optimal health. This is why the authors believe that everyone, regardless of health status, should lake essential fatty acid-rich flaxseed oil.

Some Practical Advice

Here are four recommendations to achieve better health and more optimal levels of essential fatty acids in body tissue.

 

 

1. Reduce the amount of saturated tats and total fat in the diet.

    

   There is much research linking saturated fats to numerous cancers, heart disease, and strokes. Both the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association have recommended a diet containing less than 30 percent of calories as fat. It is obvious that the easiest way for most people to achieve this goal is to eat less animal products and more plant foods. With the exception of nuts and seeds, most plant foods are very low in fat. And though nuts and seeds do contain high levels of fat calories, the calories are derived largely from polyunsaturated essential fatty acids.

    

2. Eliminate the intake of margarine and other foods containing trans fatty acids and partially hydrogenated oils.

    

   During the manufacturing process of margarine and shortening, vegetable oils are hydrogenated; that is, a hydrogen molecule is added to the natural unsaturated fatty acid molecules of the vegetable oil to make it more saturated. This change in structure of the natural fatty acid to many "unnatural" fatty acid forms interferes with the body's ability to utilize essential fatty acids.

    

3. Take one or two tablespoons of flaxseed oil daily.

    

   Organic, unrefined flaxseed oil is considered by many to be the answer to restoring the proper level of essential fatty acids. Flaxseed oil is unique because it contains both essential fatty acidsÑ alpha linolenic (omega-3) and linoleic (omega-6)Ñ in appreciable amounts. Flaxseed oil is the richest source of omega-3 fatty acids. At a whopping 58 percent by weight, it contains over twice the amount of Omega-3 fatty acids as fish oils. Omega-3 fatty acids have been extensively studied for their beneficial effects on high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, stroke and heart attack, angina, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory skin disorders, and inhibiting cancer formation and metastasis.

    

4. Limit total dietary fat intake to no more than 30 percent of calories consumed (400-600 calories a day, based on a standard 2000- calorie a-day diet).

    

   Make a strong effort to incorporate "healthful" fats in the form of essential fatty acid-rich oils such as flaxseed oil in place of dangerous trans, hydrogenated, and saturated fats. Watch for these "stealth fats" by reading food labels carefully before you choose.