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Roles of EFs in Nutrition and Health |
Certain types of fats called Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are
critical to good nutrition because humans cannot make them.
Just as humans must consume vitamins, they must also get EFAs from food, but in far greater quantities than vitamins. Failure to eat enough EFAs is a cause of hardening of the arteries, abnormal clot formation, coronary heart disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. What should you eat to correct an imbalance of EFAs? That depends on the balance of EFAs in your body. Using a blood test called, the fatty acid profile EFA Status Report (EFA-SRÔ), your physician can determine how to correct an imbalance or deficiency of EFAs.
Only the fatty acid profile EFA-SRÔ can diagnose EFA abnormalities and assist your physician in planning an optimal diet for you. This test reveals which fatty acids you need more of or less of. The combined effects over time of the foods you eat, how they are processed, their freshness, how your body breaks down and uses food, and how much exercise you get make it impossible to predict EFA abnormalities.
Recent research has found that more than 20% of adults and many children and infants have EFA abnormalities because their dietary sources of EFAs are often insufficient. Mothers with insufficient levels of EFAs may produce EFA deficient milk. Many infant formulas and adult food supplements do not have enough EFAs.
Fats are made of three major types of fatty acids: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. |
Fats are a mixture of different
fatty acids.
The specific amount of each fatty acid determines whether the fat is soft or hard. Saturated fatty acids form solid foods at room temperature, such as butter and beef fat, because they are straight molecules. Monounsaturated fatty acids have one "kink" or bend. They form foods that are liquid at room temperature, but solid in the refrigerator, such as olive oil. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have 2 or more kinks. They form foods that are liquid even when refrigerated, such as soybean, walnut, canola, or flax seed oil.
In general, when we speak of "fat", we mean a fat that is solid at room temperature. When we speak of "oil", we mean a fat that is liquid at room temperature. Both "fats" and "oils" are made of fatty acids. They differ in their fatty acid composition. Fats have more saturated fatty acids while oils have more PUFAs.
Description and Names
There are two families of PUFAs:
w6 Family
Precursor Linoleic (w6) found mostly in vegetables
From these the body makes derivatives, found mostly in Animals such as chicken or eggs. Example = Arachidonic acid.
These substances are very important to form cells and body organs
w3 Family
Precursor Linolenic (w3), found mostly in Vegetables
From these the body makes derivatives, found mostly in fish and some animals such as fish. Examples = EPA, DHA.
These substances are very important to form cells and body organs
There are two EFAs: Linolenic acid
and Linoleic acid.
People must get EFAs from their diet. People who have not eaten enough EFAs over time become EFA insufficient. From the EFAs, humans can make many derivatives. The PUFAs are all the EFAs and their derivatives. Scientists named fatty acids using the letter "omega", abbreviated "w, which refers to the number of "kinks" or "bends" in their chemical structure. PUFAs are really two different groups or families of fatty acids made from EFAs and their derivatives. One family is called the w3 (omega-3) and the other the w6 (omega-6). The w3 family derives from Linolenic acid and the w6 from Linoleic acid.
In summary, we have two EFAs, linolenic and linoleic acid, and many EFA derivatives which the body makes from linolenic or linoleic acids.
Grouping the fatty acids into precursors and derivatives enables nutritionists to refine the analysis of your fatty acid needs. Most people only need to eat a proper balance of precursors, linolenic and linoleic. Some individuals need to eat EFA derivatives because they cannot make them. This may occur with old age, disease, or a deficiency of vitamins or minerals.
As a general rule, vegetables have only the EFAs, and no derivatives. EFA derivatives are found in animal fat (mostly w6 derivatives) and fish fat (mostly w3 derivatives).
PUFAs
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Food labels tell you the amount of fat in the food but may not tell you how much PUFAs they have. If the label says that it has 4 grams of total fat and 3 grams of saturated fatty acids, you know that there is one gram of monounsaturated or PUFAs.
Functions
All cells and organs need EFAs to work well. The type and amount of many hormones produced by the body depend on the amounts of EFAs in the blood.
A low fat diet, if insufficient in EFAs, may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. |
Ask your physician if he can analyze your blood to determine whether or not you have insufficient amounts of essential fats (EFAs). Write to your hospital or HMO director to support more nutrition testing and evaluation of EFA abnormalities. Write to your Governor and Congressman to support funding for preventive medicine and nutrition evaluation. Write to the Secretary of HHS and the Director of NIH to support research on EFAs.
Your body is like a food and is made of food: you are what you eat. If you eat foods high in saturated fat, most of the fat in your body will be solid; your arteries will become hard, and you will develop high blood pressure. If you eat foods high in PUFAs, from vegetables, your arteries will remain soft and your blood is less likely to form clots that obstruct arteries and cause a stroke or a heart attack.
All excess calories that you eat from carbohydrates or protein are converted by the body to saturated and monounsaturated fat. Thus, you may accumulate saturated fat in your body even if you eat a low fat diet.
The kinks in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils can be changed from their natural form by cooking, processing or hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is a process that changes liquid oil into a more stable solid which is less likely to turn rancid. The altered shape is known as the trans form. Trans fatty acids resemble the straight, saturated molecules that form solid foods. Trans fatty acids have no known desirable function, may interfere with normal fatty acid activity, and increase the risk of coronary heart disease. People who eat many hydrogenated oils accumulate trans fatty acids in their blood.
It is dangerous to eat too much or too little of specific fatty acids. Relative excesses or deficiencies of one fatty acid alter the effects of the others and may damage the body. People who follow low fat diets may not eat enough EFAs. People who eat too much fat often eat too much saturated fat. Eating too many w3 derivatives can impair the blood's clotting function; eating too many w6 derivatives could have the opposite effect. Eating excessive calories from carbohydrates or protein leads to accumulation of saturated fat.
Technical Issues
Fatty Acid abnormalities
Fatty acids are stored in the body's fatty tissues. They are used for energy and to make cell membranes. They are protected from oxidation by vitamin E, C, and other nutrients.
The need for EFAs increases with increased cell turnover (i.e. burns, pregnancy, gastrointestinal disease, inflammation). EFA abnormalities may be caused by genetic disorders, or by deficiencies or excesses of dietary fatty acids.
People rarely develop severe EFA deficiency (EFAD). Most people accumulate fats (especially if overweight). Severe EFAD is found in people without enough EFAs who are thin. Examples: gastrointestinal disease with malabsorption, anorexia nervosa, bulimia, people who follow diets very low in fat and PUFAs (diets made exclusively of grains, cereals and pasta). This deficiency is also found in newborns and premature infants and in small children fed diets low in EFAs.
The most common abnormality is EFA insufficiency (EFAI). Insufficient levels of EFAs or EFA derivatives may lead to abnormal vision and neurological function, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol or triglycerides), high blood pressure, abnormal hormone activity, reduced cell survival, and impaired wound healing and cell growth. EFAI is a major factor in cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, complications caused by diabetes, and probably in many neurological diseases.
Many people have too much saturated fat in their blood. The excessive saturated fat makes it difficult for the body organs to receive enough EFAs. The blood cannot carry enough EFAs to the organs that need them. This condition is Relative EFAI and it is found in cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia and diabetes. The fatty acid profile EFA-SRÔ can diagnose Relative vs. Absolute abnormalities, and help to find who needs EFA derivatives.
The fatty acid test Essential
Fatty Acid Status Report (EFA-SRÔ)
The fatty acid profile EFA-SRÔ shows the amount of major saturated, monounsaturated, EFAs, w3, w6, and trans fatty acids in the blood. When there are not enough EFAs in the blood, the body is forced to produce unusual fatty acids. These serve as "markers" or indicators of EFA insufficiency. Patients with EFA insufficiency have low plasma EFAs or high levels of those markers. There are two key markers: one called Mead, and another called Palmitoleic acid. Your physician may refer to a ratio named the "T/T" ratio. Values of T/T > 0.01 to 0.02 (depending on various factors) are indicative of insufficient EFAs.
The fatty acid profile EFA-SRÔ is described in Patent No. 5075101 (Method and Apparatus for Diagnosis of Fatty Acid or Lipid Abnormalities). It diagnoses insufficiencies, abnormal changes in fatty acids ("metabolic blocks") or EFA abnormalities. Sequential measurements are used to evaluate fat requirements, nutritional needs, insufficiencies, and imbalances, and to determine if a person can absorb EFAs and convert them to derivatives.
The fatty acid profile EFA-SRÔ aids in the
prevention and treatment of:
Cardiovascular disease; stroke; atherosclerosis; poor
blood circulation; EFAs reduce while trans and saturated fatty acids
increase the risk of Coronary Heart Disease;
Hyperlipidemia and high blood pressure;
Complications of diabetes;
Complications of pregnancy, preeclampsia;
Inflammatory bowel disease; celiac disease; cystic
fibrosis, kidney disease;
Abnormalities in children fed diets low in EFAs (i.e.,
milk & formulas without EFAs);
Malnutrition; wasting states; patients on elemental diets
or parenteral alimentation;
Other conditions include neurologic dysfunction,
seborrheic dermatitis, coagulation disorders, cell abnormalities, arthritis,
immune deficiencies.
Treatment & management
The fatty acid profile EFA-SRÔ is cost-effective. It identifies both the problem and the means of correcting it. Optimal nutritional treatment is cheaper and often more effective than medications. Genetic traits, addictive behaviors such as smoking, and preferences such as physical inactivity are difficult to change. In contrast, eating foods with more EFAs can change the balance of EFAs. Your physician may prescribe oil supplements or oil capsules, along with antioxidants such as Vitamin E, to match body requirements.
The treatment is designed to correct abnormalities identified by the fatty acid profile EFA-SRÔ. Fortunately, the diet that works best for prevention or treatment of cardiovascular disease will often help to prevent other diseases, including cancer.
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Optimal mixtures of EFAs and derivatives may improve cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, & immune status. |
Warning/disclaimer. This is only a brief brochure. It is not intended to provide diagnosis or treatment advice. No representations, either express or implied, are made or given regarding the medical consequences of opinions herein presented. Please consult a physician and nutritionist who can interpret test results and provide the appropriate treatment for you in accordance with the entire clinical evaluation and other test results. Do not self-diagnose or treat.
Your physician may order a fatty
acid profile EFA-SRÔ with an
interpretative report to assist in the diagnosis of EFA abnormalities.
- Essential Fatty Acid Laboratory: we measure all the major types of fatty acids in the body and diagnose EFA abnormalities associated with PMS, abnormal cholesterol, diabetes, CF, IBD, etc.
- Instructions to send specimens. See how to order test
- For medical description and uses of the test (information primarily for health practitioners) see EFAMDBRZ.
According to your medical condition, weight and the results of the fatty acid profile EFA-SRÔ, your physician or nutritionist determines how much PUFAs you should eat every day. For example, he/she may recommend that you take one tablespoon of soybean or walnut or safflower oil per day, or a different mixture. Soybean or walnut oils are good sources of w3 and w6 fatty acids; safflower, sunflower and corn oil provide w6.
There are no official Recommended Daily Allowances ("RDAs") for EFAs as there are for vitamins and minerals. Some researchers have proposed 2% of calories as linoleic and 0.5%-1% as linolenic acid. Data on healthy humans suggest 5%-10% of calories as PUFAs, with the proportion of w6:w3 between 10:1 to 2:1. Public health groups recommend a diet with 30% of calories as fat, 10%-10%-10% as saturated - monounsaturated - polyunsaturated.
Green vegetables and seeds or germs are often high in EFAs. Linoleic acid is found in safflower, sunflower, and corn oil. Linolenic acid is found in linseed (flax) oil. Soybean, walnut, and canola oil have mixtures of linoleic and linolenic acid. Derivatives of linolenic are found in fish oil. Derivatives of linoleic are found in Evening Primrose Oil, Borage Oil, some uncommon vegetables, and organs like the brain.
For further information please read: "EFAs in Health and Disease", by Dr. Edward Siguel, MD, PhD. How to order, table of contents, excerpts.
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© 1998 Edward Siguel. All rights reserved |
modified 9/15/98 |