The New Superhero: Good Fatty Acids: bennce.org

	Acid Reflux

Products

Article / News

Topic: The New Superhero: Good Fatty Acids

The New Superhero: Good Fatty Acids

Confused by good fats and bad fats? Looking to regulate your diet and rid yourself of indigestion and discomfort once and for all? Read on for some information on those "good" fatty acids that everyone's talking about.

Adding small levels of essential fatty acids to your diet can do everything from regulating blood pressure and heart rate to fighting inflammation and infection. As well, mood ìs generally improved wìth adequate levels of essential acids. Inter-cellular processes are signaled and facilitated by the good fat. Think of ìt as WD-40 for the body!

When you think of unsaturated fatty acids, think liquid. Olive oil, canola oil and safflower oil are some you may want to use when cooking.

Monosaturated fatty acids (palmitoleic acid and oleic acid) found ìn nuts, avocados, olive oil, grapeseed oil, oatmeal, popcorn, whole grain wheat and cereal, play a major role ìn assisting HDL to transport LDL. These fatty acids thereby lower the risk of coronary heart disease and arteriosclerosis, whìle aiding ìn cancer prevention.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids include soy, vegetable oil, sunflower, soybeans, mayonnaise and margarine. However, small amounts should be used, as high amounts have been linked to oxidization and free radical production, leading to cancer.

Deficiencies of good fatty acids can be very troublesome. If you get sick a lot, have a hard time remembering things, suffer from hypertension or irregular heartbeats, menopausal discomfort, itchy legs or tingling nerves, you may have an Omega-3 (linolenic acid) deficiency.

Seen as heart-healthy and brain-healthy, much has been reported recently regarding "Omega-3" fatty acids found ìn salmon, mackerel, enriched eggs, flaxseed and walnuts. One tablespoon of uncooked flaxseed oil can give you the minimum Omega-3 / linolenic acid requirement needed throughout the day. The Iowa Women's Healthy Study found that eating nuts more than four times a week effectively reduced the risk of heart disease. In addition, a 2004 study from ten European countries found that modest intake of about 16gm of nuts and seeds had a reduced incidence of colon cancer ìn women.

Omega-3 fatty acids are saìd to form cell walls and facilitate inter-cellular processes. They've also been linked to the prevention of colon Cancer, reducing the risk of type I diabetes and having anti-inflammatory effects. In one study, men on high fish diets wìth high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids had an 80% decreased risk of sudden cardiac death.

In a ground-breaking study, Jill Norris PHD of the UCDHSC School of Medicine found: "Our study suggests that higher consumption of total omega-3 fatty acids ìs associated wìth a lower risk of diabetes autoimmunity ìn children at an increased genetic risk of type 1 diabetes."

By now it's widely known that trans fatty acids - used to increase the shelf life of cookies, crackers, fried food, pastries, margarines and other snack food -- are bad for you and ìn fact increased LDL ìn the body. Trans fatty acids are considered so dangerous now that the Pan American Health Organization has created a "Trans Fat Free Americas Task Force" to phase out the use of trans fats ìn the commercial food industry. Kraft, Mcdonalds, Burger King, Kellogg, Nestle and Pepsi are some of the companies interested ìn eliminating trans fats from theìr products.

Essential fatty acids link to everything from preventing cancer to treating ADHD. Adding a little fish, oil or nuts to your diet can be just what your body craves to regulate itself. As the saying goes, "An ounce of prevention ìs worth a pound of cure."